Possessed
by Twilight Phantom Dragon
Summary: After a battle with a shadowy ghost, Danny begins acting weirdly. He becomes goth and stops saving people from ghosts. Can Sam and Tucker find out what's wrong with him before he does something really bad?
1. Flames of Disaster

**Author's Notes: This is my first Danny Phantom fanfic, so don't expect me to be too good. Either way, please read and review and hopefully enjoy. This is different than a lot of the fanfics that have Danny become evil and there is a good reason why the story is called what it's called.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, Butch Hartman does.  
**  
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**_Prologue: Flames of Disaster_**

**__**

Danny Fenton was walking on the sidewalk with his two best friends, Sam Manson and Tucker Foley. He grinned. It was Friday night and he was looking forwards to the weekend. No ghosts had been around all day and things were likely to stay that way, leaving him in a good mood.

"So movies at my place?" Sam asked, breaking Danny out of his quiet thinking.

Danny glanced at her before smiling at her,

"Sure. Horror movies?"

"Fine with me. Tucker?" Sam and Danny looked over at their techno-geek friend, Tucker.

"… So long as we have popcorn and pizza." Tucker said in agreement.

"Then it's settled, movies at my," Sam paused as Danny's ghost sense went off," house.."

Danny groaned,

"And we were so close to having a ghost-free day. I'll go and handle it… I'm going ghost." Two blue rings appeared around Danny's middle. They traveled up his body, turning him into Danny Phantom.

"We'll catch up to you. I'll bring the thermos," Sam said as she began to pull the thermos out of her backpack.

As Sam and Tucker began to run after Danny, a fire engine drove past.

"I think the ghost has done a bit of damage already," murmured Tucker.

"No… You think?" Sam snapped at her friend.

Danny flew towards a large cloud of smoke. He looked at the building. It was mostly consumed with flames and Danny prayed that no one was inside. A ton of people were in the streets watching the burning building and waiting for the fire truck to arrive. Danny knew the building was a goner. One woman was trying to get to the building though she was restrained by two men.

"Stop it! My baby is in there," she cried as she struggled.

Danny flew a bit lower, so the smoke didn't hide him. He smiled as the woman noticed him before adopting a serious face.

"Please ghost boy. Get my baby." Tears glittered in her eyes as she looked at her only hope.

Danny nodded his head,

"I'll be right back." He turned around and flew into the building, going intangible before hitting into the wall.

Inside the building, it was searing hot. Flames jumped on furniture and covered the walls. Danny had been expecting the heat, but the sound was worse. Crackling came from all around him as things burned and the fire was roaring.

_I'm never going to find anyone in this mess…_ He thought hopelessly. _I might as well try though…._

Danny began flying through the building staying intangible. He wished he had asked the woman what floor she lived on to make the task easier, but there was no time to go back. The sounds of crying reached his ears despite all the noise. Smiling as he realized the child would be somewhere near by, Danny flew through one more wall before turning tangible.

In front of him, a 5-year old child stood crying in a corner. He had blond, short hair and green eyes. The flames surrounded the kid as he cowered. A burn mark covered his hand.

Danny stepped closer to the kid and said in a calming voice,

"Don't worry. I'll get you out."

The kid opened his eyes at the voice and a small smile lit his face up.

"Danny Phantom!" The little boy said in a happy voice.

"Yeah, that's me. Come on." Danny leaned closer to the kid and reached out one hand.

As the kid reached out, the timber under him cracked as flames below tore at it. The kid fell and screamed. Danny's eyes widened and he flew forwards to grab the kid. His white gloved-hand wrapped around the kid's arm. Scratches covered the kid's face from where the wood had cut him, but otherwise he looked okay. Danny smiled and turned both of them intangible.

He flew left, hoping that it was the way out. It was hard to tell which direction was which. As he flew through another room, Danny thought he heard the cries of someone in that very room. He stopped and looked around. The room was painted black and looked like it once had belonged to some Goth. Danny shook his head.

_I could've sworn I heard someone.. Probably my imagination.. There's no one here… Kid who lived here probably got out, or was outside when the fire hit._

Settling with that explanation, Danny flew out of the room, leaving it to burn with everything in it. The kid was curled up in Danny's arms. His eyes were closed in fear though he felt safe with Danny Phantom.

Soon Danny left behind the roaring, flaming building and flew out into the outside cool air. Danny dived down towards the ground where people were cheering as he approached. He could make out Tucker and Sam, the latter still holding the thermos. Danny smiled lightly before landing. He put the kid down who quickly ran towards his mother and embraced her.

"Mommy!" The kid smiled up at his mother, tears in his eyes. Excitement of being saved by Danny Phantom also shone in his eyes.

Danny smiled and turned to leave, not wanting to stay longer than necessary. Before he could take flight, he felt arms wrap around him. Danny looked back into the face of the mother who's child he had just saved. Her eyes were brimming with tears despite the obvious happiness they held.

"Thank you Danny Phantom. You saved my child."

He smiled lightly. "No problem. Just part of the job."

The mother let him go and he flew up. The fire truck had arrived while Danny was in the building and they were currently working on putting out the flames. Danny suddenly remembered the whole reason he had come by. His ghost sense! At that moment, a dreadful wailing arose. Danny put his hands over his ears, trying to block it out.

A ghost flew from the building. It wore a black, burnt robe that trailed behind it as it flew up. Its only visible skin was its hands and face. It had red skin covered in small burn marks. The eyes looked like glowing coals and fangs curved from its mouth. The ghost was about four times Danny's size. The people shouted in terror and began running in random directions though all away from the building and ghost. Sam and Tucker slowly crept closer to the building, ready to use the thermos.

The ghost stopped wailing and spoke in a crackling voice,

"Putting my flames out… Not a good thing to do. I'll send you all to your deaths." The ghost made two fireballs in its hands to shoot at the people.

"Not today, smoky." Danny said as he charged some ecto-plasma in his hands.

The ghost looked towards Danny and cackled. Its laugh sounded like fire spitting.

"I am Feren. I will not let a small ghost boy stop my quest of the spread of fire." Feren shouted before throwing the fireballs at Danny.

Danny threw the ecto-plasma at the fireballs. His ecto-blasts collided with the fireballs, stopping them from hitting into Danny. He grinned.

"You're going to have to be a lot quicker than that." Danny charged some more ecto-plasma in his hands before shooting a beam at Feren.

Feren turned into ash and seemed to blow away. Danny squinted, trying to find where Feren was. He heard laughing behind him and turned around quickly. A fiery fist slammed into Danny's face. He screamed in pain as he felt fire scorch his face before flying backwards to hit a wall.

"Beat that, ghost child," cackled Feren.

Danny felt pain explode all over his back and face. His face felt burning hot like someone had put coals there. It stung badly. Danny opened his eyes a bit to focus on the fire ghost. A large ball of ice formed in his hands before flying at Feren.

"I will." The ice beam hit into the ghost, causing it to shriek in pain from the cold.

"….Ice…Cold… It burns worse than anything else…" The ghost blabbered before saying in a strange, mystical voice, "Today a boy died and a ghost born.. In the darkness and heat of his room…. He will seek the phan-…."

Feren spluttered out like a weakening light bulb before he was able to finish his sentence. His body turned entirely black before plummeting as a burning ball of fading flames. Sam uncapped the thermos to suck the ghost inside. The ghost flew into the thermos in a blue beam of light. Putting the cap back on, Sam and Tucker ran over to where Danny had flew.

"Dude! Are you okay?" Tucker asked as he caught a sight of Danny.

Sam looked at Danny with a concerned expression,

"Danny…. You might want to look into a mirror." She thought a while before saying, "Or not…"

"What are you talking about?" Danny muttered, slightly annoyed that his friends didn't just tell him what was wrong.

Tucker bit his lip,

"Just look in a mirror…"

"Fine. Do either of you have one?" Danny muttered.

Both shook their heads before Tucker took out his PDA.

"I'll just show your picture to you. Don't turn back into a human in case you ruin the image." Tucker held his PDA up and quickly snapped a picture.

"You might want to get first-aid care as well," Sam said.

"Just let me see what's wrong with me first." Danny reached over to take the PDA from Tucker.

His eyes widened as he looked at a picture of his face. Ash covered most of his face though it was just a thin layer. A burn mark covered the cheek that Feren had punched. The skin was blackened and Danny knew why his face was burning so much now. As well as the burn mark, the tips of his snowy white hair were blackened. Danny felt a hand rest on his shoulder and looked over into Sam's face.

"Come on. We'll go to my place and fix you up as well as we can." Sam said in a reassuring voice. "You might look better in your human form."

Danny nodded his head before turning human. He raised a hand to wipe the ash away and felt the burnt skin. It was still there and it still hurt.

"Your hair's still white." Sam said with a small smile.

"What?! All my hair?! I turned back to human, didn't I?" Danny looked at her; alarmed. His hands raised and ran through his hair.

"Kidding. The tips are white though.. Must have been something special about the ghost's fire." Sam shrugged. "Don't worry." She smiled and that smile made Danny feel better and he smiled back.

"Maybe we should get going. Before anyone comes and asks what happened. You two can save your lovey-dovey stuff for later." Tucker teased.

"We aren't a couple!" Both Danny and Sam shouted at the same time.

"Okay, okay. Stay in denial." Tucker grinned before beginning to walk off.

Sam and Danny looked over at each other. They grinned as the same thought came into their mind.

"We'll get him back, won't we?" Sam asked.

"Oh yeah." Danny nodded before the two friends ran after Tucker.

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**Author's Notes: There's the first chapter. Feren isn't the main ghost, just a pyrokinetic ghost I made up to start the fire. You'll learn more about the importance of the flames later… A lot later. Please review!  
**  
_**Twilight Phantom Dragon  
**_


	2. Alley Ghost

**Author's Notes: Thanks for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! I don't have much else to say, so let's just start this chapter. Enjoy!  
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, Butch Hartman does.**  
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_**Chapter 2: Alley Ghost**_

Danny's hair still had the white tips from the fight last night. His cheek stung a little, but he had to admit that Sam had done a pretty good job. It was nighttime again, about 24 hours since the fire. He was patrolling the town with his friends though he was in his human form right now.

"Today will be ghost-free," said Danny in a postive voice.

"Good job, Danny." Sam said in a sarcastic voice. "You just cursed us."

"Well we did catch the Box Ghost earlier today," remarked Tucker.

"Does he actually count?" Sam sighed.

"No, but come on. There's not going to be any other ghosts today." Danny said before his ghost sense went off.

"Cursed us again," Sam rolled her eyes before taking the thermos out of her backpack. "Maybe it's Feren back to burn you into a crisp."

"Like he didn't do enough of that yesterday." Tucker said before both of them laughed.

"Keep on laughing and next time we see a fire ghost, we'll see how well you two do against him." Danny looked around. "I'm goin' ghost." Twin blue rings went around his body turning him into Danny Phantom.

"Like you would let your girlfriend get hurt." Tucker teased. He knew Danny was too clueless to know that Sam liked him and vice versa. Maybe with enough teasing they would finally realize that.

"Sam's not my girlfriend!" Danny shouted at the same time, Sam shouted, "I'm not his girlfriend!" Both of them gave death glares at Tucker.

"Yet…" Tucker added before changing the subject, "So weren't you going to go get that ghost?"

"I'll deal with you later then." Danny flew up and surveyed the area for any ghosts or ghostly glows. Or any screams of terror.

He flew next to an alleyway, looking for any glows. Nothing stirred in the alleyway except a piece of trash that was swirling in the air. Danny turned around to look across the street. He felt something wrap around his foot and pull him into the alley. It slammed him into the alley wall before Danny could do anything.

Tucker and Sam heard the crash and ran to the edge of the alley. Behind them, the streetlights flickered off. Darkness was all the two of them could see.

"Danny! Where are you? Are you okay?" Sam called out.

"Here. As for question 2, try slamming into a wall and see if it hurts. Then come back and tell me." Danny shouted back.

He made a ball of green plasma in his hands, filling the alley with a green tinge. He looked around for the ghost that had grabbed him.

"Come out and show yourself. Unless you want to make this easier for me and fly into the Ghost Zone yourself." Danny said in a confident tone.

"I doubt you'll ever send me there. Or any other ghost," sneered a disembodied voice.

Before Danny could reply, a shadowy shape rose from one of the many shadows in the alleyway. It formed into a ghost. The ghost was entirely black except for it's two red eyes. His hair was spiky, but seemed to have a life as it moved. His hands ended in claws and he had a ghostly tail instead of legs. The red eyes were glaring at Danny. Danny let out a laugh.

"So you're only a shadow ghost?" _This will be an easy fight… I fight and beat Johnny's shadow all the time…_ Danny was smirking as he looked at the ghost, "You won't be a challenge. I'll beat you just like I beat Johnny's shadow."

"That's where you're wrong ghost boy. I am stronger. A whole lot stronger." The ghost raised a clawed hand, getting ready to attack.

"Aren't you going to tell me your name and evil plan? You know, it's kinda a tradition for villians to do that before I kick their butts." Danny asked, not at all threathened by the ghost.

"Ha! That would be stupid of me. Anyway, who says I'm the villian?" The ghost seemed to smirk, but you really couldn't see its mouth, so Danny wasn't sure.

"Me." Danny raised his hand and shot some plasma at the ghost.

The ghost's raised hand changed shape, so it looked like a bat. He swung his arm, hitting the plasma back towards Danny. Danny slammed into the wall, but quickly recovered. He flew towards the ghost with his fist ready to punch it.

The ghost made a hole in it's stomach where Danny's fist was going to strike. The ghost closed the hole after Danny's fist had gone through. He screamed in pain as he felt a burning sensation run through him. It seemed like the ghost's body was burning in the inside.

"I bet you're not so confident now." The ghost said as he looked down at Danny.

"I wouldn't bet on it." Danny made his fist glow blue, not that you could really see it inside the ghost. Ice flew from his fist and froze the ghost from the inside-out. Danny raised his other fist back and punched the frozen ghost. It broke apart and flew everywhere.

No trace was left of the ghost except the black splatters of shadowy ectoplasma on the walls. Danny smirked before landing next to Sam and Tucker.

"That was pretty easy. Beats getting my face burnt." Danny smiled as he turned human.

"Probably does.. I guess we should start heading home right now." Sam smiled back at Danny before pausing. She leaned over to him and whispered, "We still have to deal with Tucker…"

"You're right…" An evil smile went across his face as he glanced at Tucker. Sam also was smiling.

Tucker was watching both of his friends with a worried expression. "What's wrong? You two aren't going to attack me, are you?"

Before Danny and Sam could do anything to Tucker, a loud cackle arose. While they had been talking, the little bits of shadowy plasma had come back together. They had formed into the ghost that Danny had been fighting. Parts of it were missing, so it just looked like a swarm of black particles with glowing red eyes. The claws were ahead of the rest of the body and seemed to not even be connected.

The ghost flew towards Danny before he could go ghost. The ghost had its claws extended and grabbed Danny by his shoulders, sending a numbing feeling through the halfa's body. Before the rest of its body could reach Danny, a blue glow surrounded it, sucking the ghost away from Danny. Sam capped the Fenton thermos before running over to Danny. Danny was swaying slightly. Both Tucker and Sam put an arm around their friend to help support him.

"Next time we should be more careful… Make sure the ghost is in the thermos instead of splattered on the walls," said Sam.

"And you two shouldn't plot things on me until we're completely sure that everything is fine." Tucker said before looking at Danny. "Do you think you can walk home?"

"Yeah… Maybe… I don't know…" Danny glanced at the two of them before lowering his head.

"We'll take you to your house. With any luck, your parents will be in the lab and we can sneak upstairs without anyone noticing." Sam said as the trio began walking. They were half dragging Danny along.

"What do you think the ghost hit you with?" Tucker asked Danny.

"Something that numbed me… I'll stay at home tommorrow and rest… Hopefully it'll wear off by school on Monday..." Danny was talking in a quiet tone, taking pauses between sentences.

"Well you better be since Lancer is giving us a test." Sam said before smiling. "I already studied."

"Of course you already studied. You always study." Tucker sighed. "I studied a little."

"Well then I'll spend tommorrow studying…" Danny frowned a little before smiling. "While you two catch ghosts..."

"I still have to study, but I bet Sam will be willing to catch tommorrow's ghosts." Tucker said with a grin.

"You wish." Sam snapped at Tucker. "Well we're at your house now."

Danny raised his head slightly to look up at his house before lowering it again. He let Tucker and Sam help him up the stairs to his bedroom. They were lucky that his parents were downstairs working on something. Danny fell on top of his bed as soon as Sam and Tucker took away their support. He rolled over, so his face was to the ceiling. He watched Sam and Tucker.

"We'll see you tommorrow, okay?" Sam said.

"I'll see you Monday…. You two would be distractions in studying... Bye..." Danny said in a tired voice.

"Fine…" Sam crossed her arms. "Monday it is then. Bye Danny."

"See you." Tucker began walking towards the door, glancing back to look at the two of them.

"Get well." Sam whispered into Danny's ear. She kissed his cheek lightly unaware that Tucker was still there. "Bye."

"Bye Sammy…" Danny murmered in a dazed voice. He was smiling as he went to sleep.

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It was Monday morning. Sam had woken up in a cheery mood. She would be able to see Danny today. Yesterday had been uneventful with no ghosts except the Box Ghost, so ghosthunting had been easy. She quickly ran to school, wondering if Danny was going to be late and silently praying he wouldn't. Tucker was already at his locker.

"Hey Tucker. Have you seen Danny?" Sam asked him as she opened her own locker.

"Nope…" Tucker looked at Sam and then gasped. His mouth opened wide and he stared surprised.

Sam noticed Tucker's expression almost immediatley. "What?" She smirked a bit. "Forgot one of your portable computers?"

Tucker shook his head slightly for no, still staring. Sam raised her eyebrows.

"Okay Tuck. What's wrong?"

Tucker grabbed Sam's shoulders and turned her around. Sam gasped and stared in as much surprise as Tucker.

"D-D-Danny!" Unlike Tucker, Sam was able to say something.

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**Author's Notes: I know I'm being evil with the cliffie, but I like leaving them. And this seemed the perfect place. So now for answering my reviews. I prefer doing this to actually sending answered reviews.**

**Dpcrazy: Thanks. I can't tell you anything about the real ghost's identity, but you're right on your guess. **

**Zoko: Thanks!**

**PunkMichPhantom: Thanks. People getting hurt is something I love to write about… I'm just kidding.**

**Please review!**

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon**_


	3. Gothic

**Author's Notes: Sorry for not updating for so long. I have a lot of work at school and a whole lot of things to do. I don't have the time to go on and write. This is added with the fact I can't get on weekdays due to family rule. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews! I decided to start answering them at the beginning.**

**Devilchild93: Well now you'll find out. **

**PunkMichPhantom: True I love hurting people in fics, but you can still feel bad for them, can't you? I hope you're satisfied after my evil cliffhanger. **

**Dpcrazy: Go on my pet cliffies! Leave everyone wondering! evil laughter**

**Kanashii.Umi: Thanks! I hope you like my description.**

**Karimlan di Sindihan: I love my cliffy! I totally understand how you feel, but it's fun to leave cliffhangers.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, Butch does. I do own this story.**

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Chapter 3: Gothic

Danny turned around to face Sam. The tips of his hair were white, but it looked more like it belonged. Danny's eyes had a little black around them. His face was extremely pale though it didn't look like make-up. It looked more like it was natural. He was wearing a T-shirt similar to the one he usually wore except for a few details. The main color was black instead of white. The edges that had been red were now dark red. In the middle of the shirt, there was a slightly cracked skull where the red circle had been. Black web covered his arms and ended at his wrists. Black gloves covered his hands, but his fingers weren't covered. Sam could see black nail polish on his nails. He was wearing black jeans that covered half of his black combat boots. To finish the outfit, Danny was wearing a spike collar. Danny's eyes were what shocked Sam the most. They were dull and gloomy. If the gloominess left, his eyes would be emotionless.

"What?" Danny's voice was also dull and bored. He looked at Sam with those emotionless eyes.

"What happened to you, Danny? What's wrong with you?" That last statement had slipped out of her mouth though she really didn't mean it. Sam was starting to come out of her shock. Danny didn't look bad Goth, but this was just a sudden change.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong with me." Danny turned back to his locker, reaching for another book.

"Danny! You're Goth!" _Not that I think he looks bad like this… I like it… I have really got to stop thinking like this about my best friend…_ Sam shook her head to clear those thoughts.

"So?" Danny's answer was short and almost emotionless. His eyes didn't leave his locker as he looked around for another book.

Sam had expected some teasing remark from Danny, not a short, one-word answer. Something was definitely wrong with Danny.

"Dude, your personality is totally changed. We saw you Saturday and you can't change an entire personality in one day." Tucker had finally come out of his shock. Whatever was in front of him wasn't Danny even if it looked exactly like him. It couldn't be Danny.

"He's right, Danny." Sam nodded her head. "Did something happen to you yesterday?" Her voice was worried as she looked at him.

"Nothing happened yesterday." Danny shrugged. "I just feel like being like this… Nothing is wrong." He slammed his locker door shut.

"Nothing is wrong! Danny, you aren't yourself!" Sam yelled at him, attracting the attention of plenty of students.

A crowd of students were gathering around the trio. They pulled apart to make room for Dash as he stepped forwards with Paulina.

"What's wrong witch? Don't you like your boyfriend's new look?" Paulina sneered at Sam who glared back.

"Danny's not my boyfriend! Can't you people get that through your thick heads?!" Sam looked away from Paulina, wishing she would just disappear. Or that a ghost would get her.

Meanwhile Dash moved over to Danny. He murmured loud enough for everyone else to hear, but to make it look like he was only talking to Danny,

"Are you really this desperate to change yourself this much just for a stupid girl? Oh well, the look fits you Fenturd."

"Don't insult Sam." Danny's voice was dull as he looked at Dash with bored, vacant eyes.

"Oh! Fenturd standing up to his pathetic girlfriend," sneered Dash.

"I'm warning you…." Danny said quietly.

"Okay, Fenturd. Starting to threathen me? What can you do?!" Dash began laughing with everyone else. "Just for even thinking you can hurt me, I'll have to beat y-"

Dash was interrupted as Danny swung his gloved fist at Dash's face. It hit his jaw. A small crack could be heard where Danny's fist connected. Dash let out a yelp of pain and backed up, rubbing a quickly forming bruise. Everyone stared in shock at Danny. Sam moved towards Danny and put a hand on the arm. He glanced at her before looking at Dash.

"You're going to get it Fenton!" Dash yelled in anger and ran at him.

Danny ducked Dash's fist and swung his own fist at Dash's face again. It hit once more. As Dash pulled back his fist, the sounds of footsteps sounded as well as a familer voice.

"What is this?! Great Lord of the Flies! Break it up and you two-" Mr. Lancer said as he tried to push through the crowd of students.

Danny looked between his fist and Dash. He wasn't afraid of trouble, but he wasn't eager to have to listen to a boring teacher's lectures about nonviolence. Quickly he made his descision.

Danny ran. The students separated to let him through. How Sam ran in combat boots Danny couldn't imagine, but at least he was able to run faster than Mr. Lancer. Running from school would probably get him in more trouble than it was worth, but this could be fun. As soon as he pushed through the front doors, Danny ran into the closest alleyway. _Time to go ghost._

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Sam stared in shock at the front doors to the school. _Why did Danny just do that? He's going to be in so much trouble… I hope he's alright. _Sam bit her lip in worry. _Something's not right._ Sam felt a tap on her shoulder and looked over to Tucker.

"Let's go to class… We won't catch or find Danny right now. And we don't want to be in trouble." Tucker said in a quiet voice.

"Okay, but I'm worried about him. Why do you think he ran?" The two began walking to class, not exactly hurrying.

"Who knows? I'm sure it isn't bad." Tucker tried to keep the worry out of his voice. It was true that he was worried about Danny, maybe not as much as Sam, but he was still worried for his best friend. Despite this, he wanted to comfort Sam and sounding worried wouldn't help at all.

"Tucker! Danny becomes Goth in less than two days, he beats Dash up, and now he runs away! You call that not bad!" Sam shouted, attracting the gazes of a few students.

"Mind your own business," said Tucker to a few students before looking at Sam. "We'll find him after school."

"I hope so…" Sam said after a few seconds of quiet.

Sam and Tucker walked into the English classroom. Sam started pulling out her books. 

Sam took a black notebook with a purple spider on it out of her backpack. A piece of paper fell unnoticed on to the ground. Tucker looked over at Sam and noticed the piece of paper.

"Hey Sam. A note fell out of your backpack." Tucker said to Sam as he leaned down to get it.

Sam glanced at the paper, realizing that it was just some paper she had doodled on. Blushing a bit, Sam reached down and grabbed it before Tucker could.

"Thanks…" The blush stayed on as Sam mentally sighed in relief. Tucker could not be allowed to see her sketches of Danny and her together.

Mr. Lancer came into the classroom and spoke in a loud voice,

"Get your books out and open to page 56."

Sam opened her book and put it in front of her. Her eyes went down to the paper she held. It was folded in half and Sam knew that she had definitely not folded it like that. She didn't write 'To Sam' either. Sam unfolded the paper and red over the note,

Sam,

Meet me in the park after school. Preferably in the evening. I have something to tell you.

Danny

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Author's Notes: And cut! Now you have to wait to see what happens! Yes I'm evil leaving this cliffhanger, but at least I let you see what the note was. I didn't have to. Please review and thanks for waiting this long for my lazy and busy self to write this chapter!

**__**

Twilight Phantom Dragon 


	4. A Happy Ending?

**Author's Notes: I feel so bad for not having updated in such a long time I've been pretty busy in school and playing my new Wii… Now that I'm done with ranting on excuses I present drum-roll review replies!**

**MayaAlexia: Thanks! I'm glad you like Gothic Danny D**

**Aiko-hime: Thanks! I always liked thinking of what Danny would be like Gothic, which is how this idea started.**

**PunkMichPhantom: Good idea with the hat… I might put him wearing the hat sometime and somewhere in my story… There's a reason for the white tips, but I don't want to say anything. Thanks!**

**Kanashii.Umi: Thanks for the sketch of Goth Danny! I guess you'll find out in this chapter what happens.**

**sciencefreak330: Questions that will one day be answered, but not soon… Well maybe some of them will be answered soon.**

**Devilchild93: Thanks.**

**PotterPhantomKitten: I totally know the feeling. Thanks!**

**Majestic Moon: Evil cliffies attack! You better get used to them since I love them. I'm glad you like this story.**

**SoLo Aries: Thanks!**

**Dpcrazy: Yes, I always wished him to be goth too… But it never happened, so an idea began to form. I'm glad you're liking this.**

**Now drumroll... Let the chapter begin! Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, Butch does. However, I do own this story and I do own Goth Danny's appearance**.

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Chapter 4: A Happy Ending?

Sam quickly shoved her books in her spider backpack as the bell rang. School was out and it was time to go meet Danny in the park. Part of her was almost afraid of what she would find, but the other part was eager. She hadn't told Tucker about the note. If he came along, it might scare Danny away was her reasoning. There could be a variety of reasons why Danny would tell only her to meet him in the park. Alone….

_It could be just because he doesn't think Tucker will understand about the whole __goth__ thing… Or maybe he wanted me to tell Tucker. Or it could be a trap by someone like __Vlad__? Or maybe it's because…_

Sam cut the thought off. That last reason was the main one on why she didn't tell Tucker. Not telling Tucker and managing to get away from him were two completely different things. She was sure Tucker would want her to go with him to look for Danny. And she was right. As Sam stood up, Tucker asked her,

"Let's go to Danny's house… We can get the Boooo-merang and track down Danny. I know you want to." Tucker said the last comment with a smirk on his face. He knew his friend had feelings for Danny beyond that of friendship. Even if Tucker joked, he was concerned about his best friend. Life just wouldn't be the same if Danny stayed this way; gothic and voilent.

"No… I have to go." Sam said in a hurried tone. She added, "My parents said they would ground me if I didn't go straight home." Even if she had felt like hitting Tucker for his comment, she didn't want to waste time. If she didn't get to the park now, Sam was afraid that Danny would be gone.

"Since when have you cared what your parents said?" Tucker had believed the lie though he was confused as to why Sam would rather go home when Danny was acting weird.

"Look… I don't want them to take away my right to see Danny. And I don't want to argue with them right now. Anyway, I'll be thinking about why Danny would turn goth." Sam glanced at the clock in the classroom as she walked out with Tucker dogging her steps.

"Fine…" Tucker said in a sigh of defeat. A grin flashed on his face and he added, "Maybe he did it to impress you."

Sam could feel her cheeks go red hot. Hoping Tucker didn't see the bright blush, she punched his arm hard.

"Ow! What was that for?" Tucker said as he rubbed his arm. He was sure a bruise would form there though he had been lucky she hadn't kicked him with her steel-toed boots.

"You know what. I'll see you later." Sam walked away from Tucker. She wanted to run, but that would only arise Tucker's suspicion.

"Yeah. See you." As soon as Sam turned the corner, Tucker shook his head. "There is no way Sam would refuse searching for Danny." He ran after the gothic girl, intent on following her. Sometimes it seemed like he was always left in the dust, but this time Tucker was sure that he would find out what was up.

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Sam walked into the park. It was evening now. After school, she had gone to her house. The wait for the sun to set had been awful. She hadn't been able to concentrate on the mass of homework the teachers had assigned that day. The only thing that was in Sam's mind was Danny and the meeting in the park. Finally the sun had began disappearing along the horizon and she had ran out of the house.

As Sam walked through the park, she felt uncomfortable. No one was in the park at this time on a weekday. It was deserted except for herself and Danny, somewhere. Sam kicked a rock as she stepped on to the grass. Her feet were leading her deeper into the park. She sighed. Even if Danny was in the park, she didn't know where he was. He could be anywhere.

Finally Sam stopped. She looked around and noticed that she had come to the spot where she had kissed Danny to cover-up any of Valerie's suspicions on Danny being Phantom. Sam smiled as she remembered the fake-out make-out. That had been one of the best moments in her life even if Sam knew the kiss hadn't been for real. It was just some-

"Sam.." A dark voice said and Sam's heart swelled as she realized that it was Danny's. It was still dull and gloomy, but somehow Sam found the tone comforting. She turned around to see Danny standing a few feet away from her. He was still in the same Gothic appearance.

"Danny!" Sam said in excitement. She didn't care if he was Goth. All she cared was that he was okay and that he was still the same inside. She couldn't help herself as she cleared the feet between them and gave him a hug.

Danny stood a bit awkward as Sam gave him a hug before hugging her back. After a few seconds, Sam pulled away. She stepped a few feet away from him. A blush was covering both their faces though it quickly faded from Danny's.

"Sam… I asked you to come to the park because I wanted to tell you something." Danny lowered his eyes. Sam found it amusing, but she didn't laugh. Instead her eyes tried to catch Danny's.

"Well I'm here." Her voice was quiet. Half of her was afraid, afraid of what Danny would say. The other part wanted to know.

"I-I-I…I love you." Sam's eyes widened as Danny spoke the words quickly. His words were slightly slurred, but Sam understood perfectly. Danny waited, nervous.

"Really?" Sam said stupidly. She mentally slapped herself before closing the gap between them. She leaned in for what, to her, seemed like the best moment in her entire life. She pulled him into a hug and murmured, "I love you too."

Danny wrapped his arms around Sam and leaned in as well. Their lips touched. Sam was shocked that his lips were icy cold, but she brushed the fact off. It was Danny, she didn't care if his lips were warm like during their fake-outs from before or if they were icy like right now. All that mattered that the two were kissing. She was enjoying every second. They pulled apart, Sam staring into Danny's icy eyes. Yes, they were dull, but Sam could still see passion burning in them.

"Danny and Sam, two Gothic lovers, standing in the park, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes two halfa babies." Tucker sang, causing Sam to turn a vivid red. Danny's blush was far less prominent. Apparentally, Tucker had stayed outside Sam's house doing his homework. He hadn't believed the lie and wanted to know what was really going on. After that, Tucker had followed Sam and hid in some bushes to watch what unfolded.

"Want to give us an encore?" Sam spoke in a dangerous voice. She pulled away from Danny and that's when Tucker knew that he was in trouble.

"I don't do encores, but I would if you paid a bit." Tucker quietly cursed himself for having said anything to Sam. It really would've been safer to stay at home.

"Sure… Here's the payback." Sam punched Tucker in the arm, exactly where she had punched him earlier. Two punches in one day. Tucker mentally thanked that she hadn't kicked him even if his arm was throbbing. Sam then brought her steel-toed boot into his shin, making him yell in pain.

"I thought the punch was the payback." Tucker groaned as he leaned over and rubbed his bruised shin.

"Do you want me to kick higher?" Sam's tone was still dangerous and Tucker shook his head for no. It hurt enough with her kicking his shin. Sam turned around and called, "Danny." Her eyes widened as she noticed that Danny wasn't there. He had left again.

"Don't kick me again just because your boyfriend left." Tucker said quickly. He backed away from Sam whose eyes had fallen.

"I won't… I wonder why he left." A tear glistened in her eyes, but she rubbed it away. Sam looked around her before her face fell once again. "I suppose we'll have to find him again…"

"Maybe his ghost sense went off." Tucker said, trying to reassure his gothic friend. It didn't seem to work.

"Yeah, but he would've told us." Sam reasoned. It was true, Danny always told them when emergenies came about.

"Well… Maybe he doesn't want to see anyone else." Tucker didn't like that idea. He was Danny's best friend. What reason would Danny have for not wanting to talk to Tucker? Especially after finally kissing the girl he loved for real. It didn't make sense.

Sam was about to respond before her cellphone rumbled. She pulled it out and smiled. There was a text message from Danny. Tucker was watching her curiously and upon her smile, he asked,

"Who's it from? Danny?"

"Yeah. It says that he went home because he doesn't want to talk right now. And he can't miss his curfew." Sam looked at Tucker. "Isn't his curfew 10?"

"Yeah… And it's only 9. Something's up with him." Tucker shook his head. He couldn't believe his best friend expected them to believe him. Something was definitely not right about him.

"We should go to his house and see if he's there." Sam's voice was full of worry.

"I'll go. You should get home." Tucker noted that Sam was tired. It was true because she had stayed up most of the previous two nights, wondering about Danny and if he was hurt from the battle with the shadow.

"Fine." Sam knew there was no point in argueing even if she could get her way. Right now, all she wanted to do was curl into her blankets and think about that wonderful kiss. "Let's go."

The pair began walking. For a while, silence pervaded. Curiousity finally bent Tucker to ask Sam some questions. These questions would usually have been saved for Danny, but Danny seemed a bit weird and Tucker wasn't sure if he would even talk to him.

"So… How was your first real kiss?" Tucker said, a grin flashing on his face. While he couldn't have as much fun asking Sam, he was sure he would be able to torture her a bit.

Sam kept silent before saying, "If you want to know how Danny kisses, go and try yourself." Her voice was sarcastic and Tucker caught it fortunately.

"Just answer the question." His voice was full of mock seriousness.

"Well…" Sam thought back to the icyness she had felt. "His lips were..."

"Woah…. I don't need to know how his lips felt, tasted, or whatever else you're going to say." Tucker rose his hands in a mercy style.

"They were like ice." Sam managed to get those words into Tucker's ears and into his brain. He shrugged it off.

"He's half-ghost. What do you expect?" Tucker laughed. He couldn't believe that Sam hadn't thought of that. It seemed pretty unbelievable to him. Danny had always been naturally colder than everyone around him since the accident.

"It was different from the times we kissed before. It was like his lips were frozen, almost like he was dead." Sam shivered now as she thought of it. Now that Danny's lips weren't locked on her own, Sam could think clearer on how odd that had been.

"Maybe that's a bit creepy… I don't see how it's entirely relevant. Unless, you think Danny's a full ghost now?" Tucker laughed before falling in silent. That would explain the paleness.

"I don't know..." Sam frowned. They had reached her house. Even if she wanted to go and see Danny herself, she knew it would be better if Tucker went. The sole reason was that already she was half-asleep and she wouldn't be able to make it back to her house if she went to Danny's. The thought of what her parents would say amused Sam.

"Bye." Tucker said as he watched Sam open the door. She turned back to him and waved good-bye. It seemed like she was too tired to speak. Tucker began the trek to Danny's house.

After a lonely walk, Tucker reached Danny's house. He didn't want Danny's parents to know he was here, but there was no other way into the house. Of course, he could always try to get through a window, but Tucker shuddered to think of what might happen if he tried. He walked to the door and rang the bell.

Jazz answered the door. "Oh. Hello Tucker. Looking for Danny?" Her voice was cheery, but Tucker knew she was probably going to have a boring philosophical talk with Danny at why he turned Goth. "I was on my way to his room." That only confirmed Tucker's theory.

"Well let me talk to him first. Then you can go on with the lecture." Tucker walked past Jazz who shouted after him,

"I'm just concerned. Danny could really be depressed. In fact, he could…"

_We all are…_ Tucker thought quietly to himself as he quickly got out of range of Jazz's speech. He didn't have the time or the patience to listen to her right now. He walked up to Danny's door and knocked.

"Who's there? If it's Jazz, go away." Danny's voice sounded through the wood door. Tucker grinned. Even with him becoming Goth, Danny still seemed to find his sister annoying.

"It's Tucker." There was silence for a while. The silence bugged Tucker and he got ready to charge at the door. With his small bulk, Tucker doubted he could actually push the door open. He charged.

"It's open." Danny said dully as Tucker crashed through the unlocked door and landed in a heap on Danny's floor.

"And you didn't warn me sooner? Why?" Tucker asked as he picked himself up. As he looked around, he was relieved to see that Danny had yet to do anything to his room though the curtains were pulled closed. It was unusual seeing as Danny liked looking outside at space.

"Didn't feel like it." Danny said with a shrug. He was sitting on his bed with his back to the wall. His eyes were staring into the wall as if he wanted to bore holes into it.

"Well…. I just wanted to see if you're okay. You seem a bit…" Tucker didn't know what to say. There was no word in his vocabulary that could exactly describe Danny.

"Weird…" Tucker nodded his head. "I'm fine except for Jazz pestering me with philosophical talk more than usual." Usually Tucker would've laughed, but Danny's voice was dull like an unsharpened blade. Laughter would seem out of place at that moment.

"So…" Tucker wondered if he could get Danny to respond in his normal way. "How was the kiss?" Danny's eyes darkened and he turned his face away from Tucker.

"It was good… Now leave, I need to think." Danny said.

"When do you ever think…" Tucker said in a joking voice. Danny didn't answer or turn around, causing Tucker to sigh. The sounds of someone walking up the stairs sounded and Tucker knew Jazz was on her way. "Well… See you later." Tucker couldn't believe he actually felt nervous around his best friend. Danny just didn't seem the same.

When no answer came, Tucker opened the door. "Bye." The small response ringed in Tucker's ears. He nodded his head and walked out of the room, closing the door. As he walked down the stairs, he passed Jazz who grabbed his shoulders.

"Did he say anything?" Her voice was full of worry for her little brother. Tucker shook his head, knowing that she meant if he said anything of why he was acting depressed. She sighed. "Maybe I can get him to talk. Bye, Tucker." Jazz continued to Danny's room while Tucker left, saying only good-bye.

"Danny…" Jazz opened Danny's door and peeked in. Her eyes widened in horror as two glowing red orbs peered back at her. She opened her mouth to scream, but silence and darkness fell over her.

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**Author's Notes: Evil ****cliffie****? I hope so. I had fun with this chapter. I'm also hoping that I can update more since now I have my own laptop and can type on it all I want without someone taking it. I've also decided I'll just immediately respond to any reviews, which reminds me. Why don't you feed me? Not with food, but reviews… You know you want to too. hypnotic swirls appear**

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon**_


	5. Are You Really Him?

**Author's Notes: YAY! Another chapter! I got Super Smash Bros. Brawl a few days ago. That's going to take away a little writing time, isn't it? Brawl is so awesome! All Wii owners should go and buy it. I've played about 10 hours straight, maybe more xD Yes, I'm addicted. So what, you going to sue me? Alright, this story is getting interesting… Wonder what happened with Jazz… D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, Butch Hartman does. But this is my story, so NO STEALING!**

--

**Chapter 5: Are You Really Him?**

"So how'd it go?" Sam looked over at Tucker as they made the walk to school. The duo had tried calling Danny, but his parents had said he had left. Now they could only hope he was at school.

"Well… Danny didn't get too creepy and he allowed me to enter his room. He said he was fine, but he made me leave because he wanted to leave." Tucker said while shaking his head. He was worried about his best friend and the sudden change. "He also didn't laugh at any of my jokes." The boy added.

"When does anyone laugh at your jokes, Tuck?" Sam asked jokingly. Tucker gave a pout at which Sam laughed at. Her face grew grim. "I'm worried about Danny."

"Even if he did kiss you and ask you to be his girlfriend." Tucker said. Now was time for some sweet revenge on the Gothic girl.

"He didn't ask… We just kissed after saying we loved each other." Sam shrugged and added. "I guess it was implied."

"No way. You too aren't officially dating until he asks you to be his girlfriend…" Tucker said thoughtfully.

"Well maybe he would've if you hadn't interrupted." Sam said. Tucker panicked. He didn't want any remaining wrath from Sam about the whole thing last night. It was better for him to play it safe and forget about tonight.

"What do you think we can do to help Danny out? He must be having a tough time unless this is some evil plot." Tucker said. His eyes widened at the last part. "I bet someone attacked Danny and hypnotized him. Or maybe it threatened him to become Goth." Sam rolled her eyes.

"I can't imagine what a villain would want with a Goth Danny. Can you?" She asked. A ghost making Danny Goth was a stupid idea. _It's much more likely that he did it to impress me… _Sam blushed at the thought. She would ask him about it today if he was at school. If he wasn't, Sam was going to use the Boooo-merang as soon as she got home.

"Umm… No… Not exactly." Tucker said, depressed that this wasn't a likely theory. "He must've done it to impress you. Maybe he's having problems in his family or something."

"Maybe… But do you actually think, Danny wouldn't tell us. I mean, we are his best friends." Sam kicked a loose pebble, so it went flying a few feet before landing with a clink. Something hit the back of her combat boot and she turned.

"My family's fine. Can't people do what they want these days?" Tucker gasped at the voice and began turning. Sam was already looking at the speaker. It was Danny. He had a small smirk that was still grim, but it somehow made Sam feel a little better.

"Danny!" She ran at him and hugged the boy. His body felt colder than it had yesterday, but Sam took no note for the moment. At least they knew Danny hadn't run off somewhere. Tucker watched in amusement for a few seconds before coughing to remind them that he was here.

"Sam… You can let go now." Sam let go of Danny and backed away, smiling. Danny looked between the two. "So… I guess you're going to school."

"You're not?" Tucker asked, now more concerned. He didn't notice Danny carrying any backpack.

"Not today…" Danny looked away. "I'm going to be in trouble for missing out yesterday." He glanced at his black boots. While it was good to see him not talking in really short sentences now, it wasn't fun seeing your best friend being so depressed.

"Danny… You're going to be in more trouble if you don't go. The longer you hold out, the worse it'll be. Mr. Lancer will call your parents." Sam put a hand on Danny. He shrugged it off. The smirk was replaced by a frown.

"I don't want to go to school. There isn't anything to learn there." Danny said while raising his eyes to look into Sam's.

"We all know math isn't the greatest thing in the world, but we still need to go… For some reason that no one has really discovered yet." Tucker said. His light humor went unpassed by Sam and Danny. He sighed. Jokes would be good right now.

"And we'll never need it in the real world." Danny said quietly. He waited a few seconds. "It teaches no necessary skills." His eyes had fallen once more like a child's while being reprimanded on bad behavior.

"What about your future? All great astronauts went to school in some point of their lives." Sam said. Her voice was stern, but caring at the same time. She was getting more and more concerned with Danny. He was acting so weird right now.

"Face it... I'll never achieve that." Danny said. Shaking a lock of black hair in front of his face, he turned away. It was like his mood had only darkened since he came.

"Yes you will. Danny… Don't give in on your dreams." Sam looked at him. "You don't have to give up just because you're a half-ghost. I thought we solved this problem months ago. Even at the beginning, you weren't this… depressed."

"That's not why I'm Goth…"

"Then tell us now." Sam ordered. Her voice was getting dangerous. Tucker took a few steps away from the girl. There was no way she could get angry at him anytime soon. Tucker's shins were already bruised.

"Yeah… We need to know. We're your friends. We won't laugh." Tucker said in a reassuring voice. Sam glanced at him. She had almost forgotten he was here.

"Well… I've just been feeling… different for a few weeks now… When I was alone on Sunday, I thought a bit and I realized the feelings I felt. It's hard to explain." Danny said slowly, like he was choosing words carefully.

"We have the time." Sam said confidently.

"What about school?" Danny quipped. A small smile fell on his lips for a few seconds. His words were met by a groan from Sam and Tucker.

"Well…" Sam glanced at her cell phone. It was 7:53. School started at 8. "We have to go Tuck." She pointed her finger at Danny's chest. "Don't think I'm going to forget you."

"I don't imagine you will." Danny said with a shake of his head. Without a good-bye, Danny vanished on the spot. Tucker jumped back, a bit surprised at Danny's sudden disappearance.

"Great. Not even a bye." Tucker shook his head. He looked around and tried to listen carefully to see if Danny was laughing and not masking the sound. No laughter reached his ears and the only sounds were the sounds of tires.

"He has to be more careful." Sam crossed her arms. She didn't like how Danny was right now. Something had to have happened. Danny wouldn't just… change like this.

"Stop being such a mom." Tucker said in a light attempt at humor. Sam shook her head, obviously not in the mood. The grin on Tucker's face fell.

"…" Sam ignored Tucker, staring at the spot where Danny had been. Quietly she whispered, "What's happened to you?" Tucker strained to hear her, but all he heard was a few mumbling, undistinguishable words.

"We need to be some place, don't we?" Tucker said. He didn't like how Sam was just staring off like she might lose it any minute. Maybe school could actually clear their heads for once. Maybe she could unwind a bit before they go and search for Danny. Or maybe Danny would drop another secret note to Sam.

"Right. Let's go." Sam said after a few moments. She tore her eyes away and began walking. Her eyes stared at the ground, unshed tears in the very back. Something must've happened to Danny… Just what? And how could she fix it?

--

A deserted warehouse stood near the end of an unused section of Amity Park's port. It had peeling white paint that was now a dusty color. Inside of it, it was dark with no light whatsoever. To make matters worse since they always needed to be worse, the whole place was musty and smelled of rotten fish. Deserted crates were the only furnishing of the depressing place.

Right among the jungle of crates, a girl lay on the ground. She was gagged and bound with glowing red chains. Nothing she did worked and eventually the girl had given up on trying to get out. Now all she could do was hope that someone would come. Anyone except for _him_. She sighed in despair though it was muffled by the gag.

The girl heard footsteps. They were coming closer and the hope in her swelled. Her eyes tried to make out a figure, but she couldn't see anything. It was too dark. Patiently she waited for the person to near, hoping he or she didn't get lost among the boxes.

"Hello Jasmine. Or do you like Jazz better?" A sneering voice sounded into her ears, making her fall into despair once more. Of course. It was foolish to get your hope up when this place had been left alone for years. It had to be _him. _No one, but _him_ was going to come in here.

A red light suddenly flooded the warehouse. Jazz blinked her eyes quickly in an attempt to adjust quickly. It didn't help and she continued blinking. The figure let out a dry laugh as he watched the girl stop blinking and start glaring his way.

"Don't worry. I won't need you much longer." With that, the owner released the ball of ectoplasm.

--

**Author's Notes: I know it's a short chapter and I apologize for that. I'm fairly sure the next chapter will be longer since I have a very exciting event to put in it. No, it's not the climax, but it's still a great scene (at least in my mind). Am I torturing you with my talking? I hope so, just kidding. Please review! You know you want to oo Rotten tomatoes will be thrown at all who don't… And sacks of cash for all who do… **

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon**_


	6. The Terror of Carnivals

**Author's Notes: Sorry this took a while to update. I've been having difficulties with this story. I have also been taking summer classes, which take up a lot of my time. I have no better excuses, so I hope you all forgive me for taking so long. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I had no idea how to start it, but I did know exactly what the end of this chapter would be like. Let's end this note now. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, Butch does. I do own Goth Danny's design.**

--

_**Chapter 6: The Terror of Carnivals**_

Sam was walking home from school. It was Friday. It had been a while since she had last seen Danny. Or Jazz, in that matter. Both of them seemed to be missing. When Sam had come to Danny's house looking for him, his parents had told her that Danny was out. When she noticed that Jazz was not there, they told her she had sent a letter stating that she was looking at some colleges with a friend. Sam didn't buy it, but at least Jack and Maddie weren't jumping to any conclusions about ghosts kidnapping Jazz. However, at the time, it seemed a likely occurrence.

Ghosts were flying around the town with increased regularity. Sam was starting to think Danny wasn't catching them. The Box Ghost had popped up a few notable times during class as well as a whole gang of ghosts. Yesterday, there had been an attack upon Nasty Burger. Danny Phantom hadn't arrived and the restaurant had been trashed. Fortunately, Sam and Tucker had brought along some ghost-hunting gear. They caught the ghosts before they could hurt anyone. Danny Phantom hadn't been seen since the fire incident on Saturday.

Her eyes lowered to the ground where a flyer had hit into her combat boot. She picked it up, muttering darkly about the person who littered. The flyer depicted a Ferris-wheel with some tents in the foreground. The header read 'The Carnival is Back' in large letters. Sam had completely forgotten that this was the week that the carnival would open up. Too much stuff had happened that was more important than attending the carnival. She had been planning on going with Danny and Tucker. Maybe she still could.

Sam crumbled the piece of paper up and stuffed it into her spider backpack. She would throw it away later when she found a recycling can. Her mind drifted back to the carnival. Having been reminded of it, Sam wanted nothing more than to just have that on her mind. The only way she could have Danny along was if he showed his face, but Sam hadn't seen him since that encounter.

"I'll meet you at the carnival." A voice whispered into her ear. Sam whirled around, knowing the voice by heart. He wasn't there. The street was deserted except for an alley cat making his way across the road. She frowned.

"Danny. Come out wherever you're hiding." Sam called to him, willing him to come out. Nothing answered.

"I'll see you later then. Bye, Sammy." The voice whispered in her other ear. Sam swatted her hand through the air before sighing.

At least Danny had talked to her. And she would see him at the carnival if he didn't skip out like he did at school. Sam knew he wouldn't do that to her. Would he? No, Danny always kept to his promises even the unspoken ones. Sam hadn't realized how much just a couple of words from him had made her feel so much better. _Danny, you better be there. I want to see you. _

--

Sam had decided to wear something a little different for the carnival. It wasn't a date, but it might be nice to wear something that wasn't average. She had dug through her closet, ignoring the pink, frilly dresses and skirts her mom had left in there. Sam would have to remember to burn those later. An hour later, Sam had put together a new outfit.

Sam now wore a dark purple shirt similar to her regular shirt except for a few differences. Her sleeves continued as black fishnet, finally cutting off a little before her wrists. Some fishnet came from the bottom of the shirt, covering half of her belly. A black spider sat in the center of the shirt. Sam had also chosen to wear a black skirt with dark purple trim. Fishnet stockings covered her legs, which wore her usual pair of combat boots. Leaving her hair down, Sam put on a black choker.

"Bye mom. I'll be home by 10." Sam shouted as she pushed the front door open. No one heard her mom's response as Sam walked off.

It was a short walk to the carnival, only about 15 minutes. Before she even got there, Sam could smell the aromas associated with the carnival. The smell of buttered popcorn, cotton candy, and caramel apples made Sam's stomach growl a bit. Then came the sounds. People screaming in delight and terror as they rode on the roller-coaster, the sound of rides screeching, and the sounds of people talking to each other about where to go next; were some of the varied sounds that reached Sam's ears.

"Hey Sam." A voice said to her as she bought some tickets.

Sam turned around and there was Danny. He looked unchanged from what she had seen earlier except for one minor detail. The halfa now wore a hat on his head. It was a black hat with flaps over the ears. A small skull was depicted on the front part of the hat. Gray strings hung down from the hat. His eyes had also gotten duller.

"Hello Danny. Where have you been all these days?" Sam asked him as they walked through the twin gates. "I haven't seen you since… Tuesday."

"Around." Danny shrugged.

"Hey, lovebirds! Wait for your buddy." The mentioned lovebirds twirled around to see Tucker running up to them.

They stopped as Tucker came to a stop, panting. He wore a grin on his face. Sam rolled her eyes. She would really need to get him to stop calling her and Danny lovebirds. It was getting beyond annoying. Danny's face was smooth and expressionless as it tended to be these days. No one noticed him rolling his eyes as Tucker panted.

"Okay, Tuck. We're waiting." Sam said, tapping her foot on the pavement. Up ahead, the pavement was covered in dropped kettle corn, an empty soda cup, and various bits of litter. Sam tried to ignore it. The carnival would clean all that up later, hopefully.

"Where do you want to go first?" Tucker said, having regained his breath by now. He straightened himself, casting his eyes around. A rollercoaster in the distance caught his eye.

Sam followed his gaze and smiled. "I'm in. Danny?" Sam said, glancing at Danny who gave a curt nod.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go." Tucker said. Casting his eyes around, his voice dropped to a whisper. "So where have you been, Danny? We haven't seen you all week."

"I'll tell you later." Danny said with a wave of his hand.

Afraid that he might run away again, Sam reached over and put her hand into Danny's. It felt weird to be holding Danny's hand, but at the same time so good. His hand was colder than it should be, but Sam brushed the concern away. Danny tightened his hold a bit, causing a smile to reach Sam's face as well as a nice blush.

"Nice blush, Sam. Red is really your color." Tucker said, trying to contain the laughter bubbling inside him. Sam scowled and his arm.

"I don't think you want to see purple on your skin, Tuck." She said, clenching her free hand. Tucker gulped and shook his head. Taunts could be used another time when he wasn't supposed to be out having fun with his two buddies.

The trio was walking, weaving through couples and groups of friends. The smells of the carnival were overwhelming as they walked through the stands selling food. Other stands had games. An overstuffed teddy bear from one of those stands watched the crowd while in another stand a bunch of frogs surveyed the strolling people. The sounds of screaming became louder as they approached the roller coaster.

"Sweet!" Tucker said as he looked at the rollercoaster. It was a dark blue color with lights stringed along the sides of the ride. There were drops, loop-de-loops, and a spiraling portion where the carts would spiral around the foundation. A sign outside of it read 'Supernova' in large neon blue letters. Underneath that 'ride of the next century' was written beneath the ride's name in smaller letters.

"Wow, a space rollercoaster. This is going to be fun, isn't it Danny?" Sam said as the three of them got into line. It wasn't a large line as it was still fairly early, but it would still take some time for the three to reach the seats.

"Yeah." Danny said. No enthusiasm existed in his voice, giving it an almost dead tone. Sam looked at Danny curiously with a worried face, but he ignored it. His eyes looked over the coaster in an expression of near boredom. Sam bit her lip, worried about the boy.

"What's wrong with you, dude?" Tucker whispered quickly. His eyes were glancing around in search of anyone who might be eavesdropping. Fortunately, they didn't know anyone around them and everyone seemed absorbed in their own conversations.

"Nothing. I just don't feel like screaming my excitement, is that a crime?" Danny said, one eyebrow raised in question.

"I guess not…" Tucker said. He was scared about what was wrong with Danny. This wasn't his friend; it was just a shell of him.

"I can scream out loud if you prefer like the rest of the mob. However, I can't say that your eardrums might survive the ride." Danny said with a small smirk.

"I still need my ears to listen to my PDA." Tucker said, patting his pocket. Apparently, he had taken his PDA with him though it was little surprise. Tucker really did hate to be separate from the device.

"We'll talk later." Sam said. It was almost their turn. A silence fell across them. Feeling like it was lonely, Sam added with a smirk. "I wonder how many seconds can go by before Tucker pukes." Danny chuckled.

"What? I'm not going to vomit." Tucker said. A look of mock hate came on to his face. "I wouldn't throw up just because of this baby ride."

"That's when you said when we rode on the teacups." Sam reminded him, causing Danny to laugh a little louder. Tucker shot both of them glares.

"That is so unfair! We were like seven and you two were spinning the cup way too fast…" Tucker said, looking down at his feet. Those were not good memories though it seemed like they had brought a lot of amusement to both Danny and Sam.

Before Sam could say something, a man came up. He was wearing the uniform required of all employees of the carnival as well as a bored expression. The blue of his shirt was rather bright and his khakis were a size too big, bunching up on his shoes. The man began to speak.

"Welcome to Supernova, the ride of the next century!" He began in a bored tone. "This ride is only available to those above 50 inches, so we got to measure you first. Don't ride this ride if you have neck trouble, back trouble, any fears of roller coasters, or if you're pregnant. That is all. Now hand over your ticket and choose your seat." The man unlocked the gate, placing a measuring stick next to it.

Kids began to pour through the entrance, handing the man their tickets. Once Sam, Tucker, and Danny had gone through, they all sat down in the back row. The seats were the typical seats used while riding upside-down coasters. They were also a deep black color with white dazzling stars everywhere.

Sam sat down in one of these. The pads that would keep her connected to the seat came down as she raised her arms in the air. Once these were secured, Sam turned her head to see that both Danny and Tucker were ready for the ride. Tucker wore a grin on his face while Danny's expression remained much the same as it was before. Sam sighed and turned her head forwards.

"Now get ready to go on Supernova… Please don't stick any body parts out of the ride and don't forget that I won't be stopping this ride. Now, blast on to the ride of the future!" The man said, finishing the speech that he was required to say every time the ride began.

The ride began, pulling the seats along. They first rose to a high height. Out of the corner of her eyes, Sam could see Tucker close his eyes in anticipation. She could also see Danny wearing that emotionless mask from before. For a few seconds, the ride stopped. Everything hung in balance with the universe, allowing panic to bubble up in the riders. Then, the world fell. The seats plummeted towards the ground at a high speed. People screamed, some in delight while others in fear. Sam joined in the screaming, enjoying the ride. Tucker turned a fair shade of green that Sam chose to ignore.

After the fall, the ride instantly twisted around. Everyone hung upside-down for a few seconds before flipping right side up. This continued in a spiral fashion for a while before going in a loop-de-loop. The rollercoaster was screeching loudly as it went on its course though the screaming blocked most of the sound off. A flash momentarily blinded Sam as they flipped upside-down. The rollercoaster continued onwards, twisting upside-down and falling down. Finally it began to slow. Sam noted that the ride was coming to a stop.

"Welcome back from your adventure! I hope everyone had a good time. Exit on to your left when the ride comes to a full stop. Don't forget to see the pictures of your own terror." The man said in his bored tone. "And please come again."

"Wasn't that fun?" Sam said as she stepped on to firm ground. Her head was a little dizzy from all the upside-down motions, but she had had a fun time.

"It was okay." Danny shrugged. "Not too exciting, seeing as flying goes through all those motions at a faster speed." Danny didn't look at all bothered by the rollercoaster ride. He wasn't even the slightest bit dizzy.

"I thought it was great… Ugh." Tucker groaned, his face still green. "I'm going to go… You two lovebirds have fun without me." Tucker quickly took off towards the bathrooms. Sam turned away, not wanting to see her friend vomit if he didn't make it all the way.

"So Danny, where do you want to go next?" Sam asked. She was still concerned about Danny's lack of amusement. Something was wrong with him. Maybe cornering him on a ride would allow for some questions.

"I don't know." Danny shrugged, casting his eyes around the carnival. His eyes stopped on a large spinning wheel. "How about that?" Danny pointed to the ride.

"The Ferris wheel? Sure." Sam smiled and grabbed Danny's hand. A Ferris wheel would be the perfect place to speak to Danny. They began to walk towards the large spinning Ferris wheel.

The Ferris wheel was large. It was painted a bright green color with lights wrapped everywhere around it. The gondolas were a darker green, but they were also adorned with lights. It seemed the carnival was a big fan of making the area brighter especially seeing as they mostly operated at night. The Ferris wheel went at a nice pace, not too fast and not too slow. Occasionally it would stop as passengers got on at the bottom.

Danny and Sam got into line, which was pretty much nonexistent. Sam glanced at Danny as she waited for their turn to come up. He didn't look normal. It wasn't even the dark clothing. It was his dull eyes. Sam missed the shine in them. Hopefully, their trip on the Ferris wheel would lend a few answers. Finally it was their turn. The gondola stopped and a burly man opened the door.

"Don't stick any body parts out of the Ferris wheel and don't go falling out. Don't shake the gondola." The man said in a neutral voice. He helped Danny and Sam into the open gondola and closed the door. In a more amused tone, he added. "And don't you two have a make-out session on this ride. Have fun, lovebirds."

Sam sighed, tired of everyone calling her and Danny lovebirds. Sure, she and Danny had shared a kiss. And it was true that they were together, or at least Sam was pretty sure. They hadn't actually said anything to make it official. Still, it seemed like everyone would taunt the two of them forever. Even random strangers like the operator of the Ferris wheel.

"It's okay, Sam. We don't need to care what they say." Danny said, placing his hand on top of Sam's. Sam smiled back at him. "Just let the idiots think what they want."

"It just gets tiring, that's all." Sam said, glancing out of the rising gondola. The night sky seemed to be getting closer as they rose through the air. It was a lovely night. There was a full moon though only the brightest stars were visible. The rest were blocked out by the lights of the city and the carnival. "Hey Danny?"

"Yeah Sam." Danny said. He looked away from the operating booth he had been looking down at to Sam's amethyst eyes.

"I know you must be tired of all these questions, but I need to ask you some. Danny, I'm worried about you. You haven't been to school for a while and your parents haven't seen you too. Where have you been?" Sam said, concern easily visible in her voice. "And do you know where Jazz is?"

"I've been around…" Danny said, waving his hand. "And Jazz… I know where she is." His blue eyes didn't betray anything.

"Jazz! You know where she is. Where is she, Danny?" Sam asked. "I don't believe that she went to go look into colleges. Something happened to her…"

"…" Danny chose to remain silent.

"Danny… Where is Jazz? Where have you been going?" Sam said. She shook his arm when he continued his silence. This silence from Danny was starting to drive Sam crazy. Why didn't he say something?

"I told you. I've been going where I feel like." Danny said. His eyes left hers. Sam put a hand on his cheek and turned his face, so he was looking at her.

"Danny, I want specifics… I'm worried about you." Sam said. Her eyes were starting to feel a little wet, much to Sam's displeasure. She didn't want to cry right now. Why did Danny have to be so stubborn?

"I'm fine." Danny said in an even tone. His eyes looked into hers, almost piercing her through to the soul. Sam stared into his blue eyes, searching for anything that looked like the old Danny's eyes.

"You're not fine. Your change in style so quickly, your blank eyes, your emotionless attitude, and your frequent absences aren't fine. You're not fine." Sam repeated. So far her search in Danny's eyes had proved fruitless. They were entirely soulless eyes, not showing anything of his previous self. Danny glanced away from her.

"We're almost at the top." Danny said.

The random thought distracted Sam. She turned her attention away from Danny. He was right. They were almost at the top of the Ferris wheel. A part of Sam wished that they would stop right now. Another part didn't want the motion of the Ferris wheel to stop. She didn't know which part was stronger.

"Don't try to distract me, Danny." Sam said, turning her attention back to Danny and his changes. His eyes stayed away from hers, looking down. Sam followed his gaze to the operating booth. "What are you—"

Sam was cut off as Danny lifted a finger. The finger was glowing with ectoplasmic energy. He shot and it flew through the air. The energy hit the operating booth and short-circuited it. Instantly, the whole Ferris wheel came to a halt, leaving Sam and Danny's gondola at the very top. The lights all flickered out. Everything was almost entirely pitch-black. Even the rest of the carnival turned dark as the lights flicked off. The only light came from Danny's steaming finger. What scared Sam the most wasn't Danny's action.

"Danny…Danny… Why did you do that?" Sam said, her voice showing a little fear as he turned to face her. The boy wore a smirk on his face as he leaned closer to Sam. Sam screamed as softly as she could. "Danny!"

No, it wasn't the actions that had scared Sam so badly. It was the only light that remained. It was the light of his ectoplasmic energy. And the light that now came from his glowing eyes. That color was a deep, glowing red.

--

**Author's Notes: And that's that! I hope you enjoyed the little cliffhanger. This chapter was hard to write for me and I don't know why. Hopefully the next chapter will be easier. Sorry about my lack of being able to describe carnival rides. I've never been on an upside-down roller coaster (too scary for me), so I really had no idea how to write it. I hope this was a good chapter. Thanks PunkMichPhantom for the idea of the hat that Danny was wearing in this chapter. Anything else I wanted to say. Oh right, please review as it will make my day brighter! **

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon**_


	7. Cat and Mouse

**Author's Notes: Sorry this took a while to update. I've been having difficulties with this story. I have no better excuses, so I hope you all forgive me for taking so long. Despite the difficulties I have with this story, I will finish it. That I promise. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I had no idea how to start it, but I did know exactly what the end of this chapter would be like. Let's end this note now. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, Butch does. I do own Goth Danny's design.**

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_**Chapter 7: Cat and Mouse**_

Sam's eyes opened, a groan of pain emitting from the girl. Her head felt as if there was a jackhammer smashing away at the inside of her skull. There was nothing in the darkness, at least nothing that she could see. Sam pushed herself up into a sitting position, but found that the head rush from being upright was too painful to bear at the moment. Clutching her head in her hands until the pain died down into a dull thud, Sam sought to find out what had happened.

What was she doing here, in such a dark room? A better question was; where was here? Her memory was blank, empty of how she had found herself to be here. Images flashed into her mind as each individual thump in her skull faded away before being replaced by another. The carnival, the Ferris-wheel… Groggily, Sam's mind slowly came to a halt. What had happened then?

"Awake? How nice of you to join us, Samantha. Or should I just call you Sammy?" A malicious voice sneered at her from the darkness.

That voice… It was familiar, and with its terrible sound, it brought forth a load of memories. Like the dam breaking, the flood of memories overfilled her mind.

--

"_Danny…" Sam murmured softly as she looked at the boy in the seat next to her. She shook her head, "No… You're not Danny." _

"_Damn right." Danny, no, whatever monster had Danny, chuckled. _

_Absently, Sam noted that he had turned into Danny Phantom, or at least what would've, should've been Danny's ghost form. This form was much different than the heroic ghost Sam knew so well. His white hair was interrupted by a jagged streak of black. The sleeves of his outfit had been torn off as had the part of the suit above the belt. It left the ghost looking rather ragged. The fingers of his gloves had been torn off as well, leaving black claws sticking out from otherwise human hands. His suit was stained in blood, both red and green. _

_But the most shocking change was his dark red eyes. They glowed in the darkness, glowed in malice and evil intention. A sneer twisted Danny's face into a face that frightened Sam. She hated how it looked on him. It was a look his face shouldn't have to wear, didn't wear on normal occasions. Yet, here it was, as prominent as the red glow of his the energy in his hands and his eyes. _

"_What are you?" Sam growled, anger replacing the fear as she pushed up against the end of the crate that suspended them over the ground. Maybe she should jump, but he would just fly and catch her. No, jumping wouldn't be smart. Why hadn't she taken along ghost equipment when she came here?! A mental note to always carry something to blast a ghost with etched itself into her memory. _

_Danny laughed cruelly, "Not what you want me to be." _

_He raised his hand and before she knew what had happened, a searing pain flew across her face. She barely had time to yell before darkness enveloped her. The last thing she heard was the sinister laughter._

--

Sam blinked a few times as the rush of memories slowed. So that was why she was here… Whatever held Danny had brought her here. To this dark room. Breathing in the musty smell, Sam realized they were somewhere that had been left alone for a long time. Like an abandoned warehouse or factory.

"Where are we?" Sam asked, not expecting an answer. She glared at the darkness, unable to pinpoint where the voice had spoken from, but wanting it to know that she was very furious.

"My hideout. I've been staying here for a few days now." The voice said casually. "It's nice, for the most part. Though it does get a little lonely despite—"

He was cut off by another voice. "Sam? Is that you?" This voice was full of fatigue as if the owner hadn't eaten or slept well for a long time. It was also shaky, a torture victim? Sam didn't know what had happened to her, but she did know the voice almost at once.

"Jazz? So this is where you were taken…" Sam trailed off, not wanting to talk to the girl in the presence of the ghost.

"Shut up!" The cruel voice shouted at them. The sound of skin hitting skin came soon after his shout, followed by a squeal of pain from Jazz.

"Keep your hands off her," Sam snarled venomously, unable to keep it in. She didn't like the sound of her good albeit annoying friend being hurt by someone who took on her brother's appearance. There was no way she was going to stand for it; no way she was going to ignore it even if ignorance would've been a smarter course to take.

"Why should I?" The voice taunted her, drifting closer. "I do whatever I please with you pathetic humans. Anything I want to." His voice was deranged, one of insanity that Sam barely recognized.

Tears pricked at Sam's eyes, but she wiped them away, smearing her mascara in the process. Crying wouldn't help at the moment no matter how much she wanted to. She needed a plan, a plan to get out of there with Jazz and hopefully help Danny in the process. But nothing came to her. How could they fight a ghost with no ghost weapons or powers? It was simply impossible. Or was it? A few ideas, crazy but probable, came to mind.

"Why don't you show yourself? It's hardly fair that you can see in this darkness and we can't. It just sets us even further back from an even fight." Sam paused, hoping that stabbing at whatever pride he might have would work. "I can't believe you would need so many advantages to take out two girls." She hated the words as they left her mouth, but it was necessary for the quick plan. "You have the lights off, so no visibility for us while you can see in the dark. You have ghost powers while we're just defenseless humans. It's not very fair."

There was silence before the voice shot back, "I do whatever I want." However, Sam caught a weakening in it as if it was ready to defend its pride at any moment. "And I can beat anyone anyway. It doesn't matter if they can see or not."

Sam snorted, trying to put up false bravado, "Sure." The word rolled sarcastically off her tongue. "I bet you wouldn't stand a chance if we could see you. You'd probably end up surrendering in a fight, say… after 5 minutes. Give or take a few." This was crazy, taunting the ghost and sparking his anger. But maybe his pride would bring him down.

For a while, nothing happened. Then a large florescent light flickered on, followed by another. They were old and kept on flickering, but it was light. Sam blinked at the sudden light, shielding her eyes until they adjusted. While the light added a gloomy feel to the room, it was still better than the imposing darkness.

Sam had been right, it was a warehouse. Boxes, long forgotten, were stacked on top of each other. They lined the walls and were placed haphazardly around the room. It made for a rather labyrinth-like appearance. There were no windows; the only doors were at the other end. The only escape route would take too long to reach; it wasn't even worth trying to run for it. The phantom in the room would just catch them before they reached the doors.

Speaking of them, Sam scanned the room, searching for Danny's sister. Jazz was lying on the ground, one hand pressed against her red face where the ghost must have hit her. Her hair was matted, her clothes were ragged, and her eyes were sunken. Cuts and bruises covered Jazz's skin. In short, she looked terrible.

The other occupant of the room was sitting on top of a box that had the labeled letters of a shipping company printed across it. He was wearing an arrogant smirk as he watched Sam survey her surroundings. Danny Phantom, no he couldn't be called that. Sam settled on calling it a monster for the moment, at least until she learned its name.

"Better?" The ghost asked in a bittersweet voice. His hands glowed with energy. "Watch and learn, I can take you both on." He gestured at Jazz. "Not that she could put up much of a fight anyway."

"And who do I have the courtesy to be fighting?" Sam asked, sarcasm seeping into her voice.

"Danny Phantom." The boy smiled wolfishly, leaning forwards.

"No." Sam said with a brief shake of her head. "I meant whatever is controlling him. I know you're not Danny. You told me at the carnival. What, or who are you?"

The boy's smile fell away, but it was soon replaced with a sneer. "Why should I tell you? Maybe if you beat me, I'll give you a more formal introduction."

With that, the boy jumped off the box, hovering until he came to a halt in front of Sam. "Catch me if you can." The boy said, another impish smile covering his face. He pushed Sam roughly, sending her to the ground, before flying just out of reach.

Sam scowled. This would be a battle she could win with wits alone. He possessed far more strength, far more power than she did. Standing up slowly, Sam pleaded. "Danny… Come on, I know it's you in there. Why don't you answer me? Please, come out and push out whatever negative influence that's causing you to do this." Sam hoped that this was similar to Freakshow's hypnotic staff, except, hopefully, without the requirement to throw herself off the edge of a train to break the spell. There were no trains around here that she could fall off anyway.

"Don't be like that." The boy scowled darkly. "Chase me, try to fight me, just don't try to beg your way out. It won't work." He flew a little ways away and called, "Come on."

Sam sighed before another plan came to mind. She ran after him, in the same direction as Jazz was. As she passed the fallen girl, Sam dropped something black out of her pocket. She ran off, not looking back and hoping that Jazz would know what to do with the device. Until then, she would have to keep the boy distracted.

"That's better." The boy said with an approving nod before jetting off. "You can't catch me, you can't catch me." He taunted, a wild glee overcoming his voice.

"Well, that's because you're going just a bit too high for me to catch you. Without your ghost powers, you'd be nothing." Sam taunted back. The boy flew lower, making sure that if she ever did catch up with him, she could grab him. However, he made no attempts to actually run.

The two chased each other around the boxes, Sam being careful to avoid the area around Jazz, the boy unaware of any greater scheme. Finally, Sam managed to grab on to Danny's arm. She ignored the shock of how cold he felt, much colder than Danny had ever felt when he was a ghost.

"Caught you," Sam gasped in between small pants. Her head was starting to throb in pain again, worse than before.

The boy scowled. "So what?"

He almost seemed to be pouting and Sam wondered where the cruel villain had gone. It was like as if he had some sort of personality disorder. Maybe he was bipolar. One minute a wicked, sadistic ghost, at least she assumed it was a ghost, and the next minute a pouty, little boy who just wanted to play games. Games that could hurt people, but games that other boys played.

"So I win. Tell me your name," Sam said with a smirk. It was the wrong thing to say as the boy's red eyes instantly darkened.

"You don't win yet." His voice had taken on that same malicious tone it had used at first. His head shook from side to side. "Oh no, now it's just my turn to chase you." The tone changed from dark to childish in that one sentence.

Sam's eyes widened. Spinning on her heel, she ran. Her boots hit the ground with heavy thuds. He could catch her easily; she knew that he could fly faster than a car, faster than anything anyone could imagine. Yet, he flew slower, taunting her, playing with her. It infuriated her, but at least it bought her time.

This game continued on, her running as fast as she could and he flying much, much slower than usual. Her lungs felt like bursting and her head was starting to ache harder than before. She couldn't remember running this fast for this long. It would almost be easier to surrender, or at least slow down. But one glance back at the maniac grin on his face pushed her to keep on going at this speed.

Sam glanced back again, surprise spreading across her face as she saw he wasn't there. Where had he gone? To check on Jazz… No! That would ruin everything… How long had they been running? Had Jazz finished the job yet? Sam bit her lip nervously, wondering where the boy had gone off to. Turning back around to look forwards, she stifled a yell.

"I'm tired of this cat and mouse game. Might as well start with the real fun, don't you think?" The boy was right in front of her, his face pushed close to hers. A sadistic smile contorted his face, "I'll start out light, so the pain can last long. Long and hard." He paused and assumed his little-boy exterior for a few moments, "But maybe I won't kill you… It was too much fun playing with you. I can keep you around."

His hand glowed with red ectoplasma as he brought it towards her arm. Sam stepped back, but he moved with her, burning her skin with the energy as he hit her with his hand. A small yelp escaped her, bringing forth a few chuckles from the ghost.

"Danny… Come on, I know you're in there. Please Danny…" Sam hated this begging, but it could still work. Right? "Danny, please." At least it would hold his attacks off by mere seconds. "Please Danny, don't hurt me… Danny, I love you." The last words were murmured softly as more ectoplasmic energy burned at the flesh of her arm.

The ghost paused, pulling away from the girl. He hovered in mid-air, hand still raised, but trembling in some sort of inner debate. His eyes flickered from red to green though they stayed red for the most part. The ghost raised his hands to his head, clutching at his hair. Howls of pain came from the ghost and Sam almost extended an arm towards him. But she didn't, unsure whether it was Danny who was crying in pain or the ghost.

The opening creak of a door didn't break the inner debate. But it sure did strike Sam. Sam's head whipped around to look over at the door. It had worked, Jazz had done it! It was going to be alright…

Another shriek caused her to look back at Danny, the ghost, both in one body. His eyes were squeezed shut, so she had no clue who was winning the inner turmoil. Hands still clutched hair frantically, the floating phantom shook madly. And when those eyes opened, they were a…

--

**A/N: Other than the hard start, this has got to be one of my favorite chapters that I've typed. Sorry for the cliffhanger, I just couldn't resist. I promise I'll update sooner. I've decided since there's only going to be 2 more chapters, I'm going to just write the rest of them before returning to my other stories (apart from a collection of one-shots for Ben 10, which I'll probably still write anyway). I plan to finish this story soon, my goal is before springtime. Hopefully it'll be done by then… Now some questions that'll be answered next time; is Danny still in possession or is he back? Who's the savior at the door? Who's the ghost within Danny? And why is chocolate so amazingly awesome?! All that except the chocolate one will be answered next time. I promise to see you soon.**

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon**_


	8. Insanity is Such an Ugly Word

**Author's Notes: Finally! Got off my lazy and quite busy butt (school's so taxing and I've been too obsessed with other shows) and finished this chapter! I feel good. I thought this turned out quite nicely despite being rather short. I'm sorry about the length. I cut it off where I did because I felt like it and I figured you guys would want a quicker update. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, Butch Hartman does. I do own Goth Danny's design.**

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_**Chapter 8: Insanity is Such an Ugly Word**_

A smile had spread across Sam's face at seeing Tucker standing framed in the doorway. She could almost hear the music change from one of terror to one of glory as the heroes finally turn things around. Or at least she hoped that things would turn around. The thing that made her feel better than seeing Tucker was what he was wheeling with him. The Fenton Ghostcatcher, a dreamcatcher-like contraption that split ghosts from material objects. Or people. While it had caused a lot of trouble for them, it would be useful if whatever controlled Danny was inside him.

"Too bad you had to drag that all the way here for nothing," a malicious voice snarled. The voice switched into one of a more playful manner. "Didn't you like playing with me?" The boy whined, "Why did you invite him here? We don't need anyone!"

His pouting face twisted to an angry one as he grabbed Sam tightly by the wrists. A small gasp escaped her and he smiled at having caused discomfort. Red eyes peered closely into Sam's violet eyes.

"Now, you stay here while I deal with the little twerp who dared come and disturb our games." With that final word, the ghost threw Sam at one of the large cargo boxes. She slammed into it and fell to the ground, curling into a small ball. Her side ached from where it had collided with the box and she was sure it would lead to bruises. But this wasn't the time to think of that.

Sam raised her head to watch as the ghost approached Tucker. The ghost had a sneer on his face and he laughed, "You think you can do anything with that little thing? I'm powerful! Mighty! You can't harm me."

"I'm not going to. I'm just going to help my friend." Tucker stated, his voice shaking with the slightest signs of fear. "He'll take care of you." At that, the ghost laughed ever harder.

"Sure, but you'll have to catch me first." His sneer turned into an almost playful, yet sadistic smile. "I guess you're It now."

The boy, for you could hardly call him a ghost when he was playful like this, flew off. Sam pushed herself and jogged over to Tucker. "How'd you know to bring the Fenton Ghostcatcher?"

Tucker promptly answered, "Jazz told me. Apparently-" Tucker was cut off by Sam.

"Save it. I don't need the whole story right now. We have to go after him."

Tucker nodded in agreement, ending the conversation. Both of them looked around the room. All they could see were the stacks of boxes. A ghostly laugh echoed in the room, followed by some taunting words, "Come on. You can't even find me. This is more like hide-and-seek than tag."

"Well then we'll find you," Tucker called back. "Maybe we should split up and look. It would go faster."

"No, only one of us could take the Fenton Ghostcatcher if we do that. I'm sure he would catch us by surprise and pick us off one-by-one if we split up." Sam didn't entirely trust the ghost's boyish nature. It could easily turn and become one of a coldhearted killer; one that had nothing against picking people off by ambush.

They began walking cautiously through the boxes. All senses were on high alert. Wordlessly, Tucker passed a ghost blaster over to Sam. She gripped the cool metal in her hands, comforted by its presence. The ghost blaster would probably anger the ghost, so she hastily hid it from view. No need in alerting attention to any advantages they had. Minutes passed as they searched. Wherever he was, he was a good hider. And a dangerous one.

The silence hadn't dulled their senses, but they still both jumped in surprise as the ghost materialized right in front of them. He wore a small frown, "You're so terrible at this game. I'm bored, waiting for you to find and then chase me." His frown transformed into a smirk, "So I'll have to take care of you." The ghost's hands glowed with ectoplasma.

As his hands began glowing, Sam quickly pulled her gun out of its hiding spot and shot it at him. It hurt to shoot Danny, but she was comforted by the knowledge that it wasn't Danny that was controlling himself. He wouldn't feel much pain; the ghost would. "Now Tucker!" Sam shouted.

Tucker gripped the long pole that supported the main part of the Fenton Ghostcatcher. He swung it down towards the ghost before he could pick himself up. A shriek filled the room; a very angry shriek. Black light flashed from the ghost and Tucker was flung backwards. He landed painfully a few feet away.

"How dare you!" Sam squinted to see through the smoke that prevailed around the area. The person who had spoken was the ghost. He sounded a bit different, causing Sam to smile. If he sounded different, then that could mean he was separate from Danny now.

"Ugh, what happened?" A very familiar and well-loved voice groaned. "I have a headache." Sam could imagine him clutching his head as he looked around, wondering what in the world he was doing in a smoky and abandoned warehouse.

"Danny!" Sam cried in happiness as the smoke finally cleared.

Danny looked over. He was back to normal; well as normal as a halfa can get. White hair, glowing green eyes, and a regular black suit with his emblem on it. A smile broke his confused features as he looked at Sam. Danny stood up, dusting himself. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by another shriek.

"How could you?!" It was said in such an ugly, twisted tone that Sam flinched at its sound. This voice could've shattered glass and twisted metal.

It belonged to a ghost. If he had been human, he would've been younger than anyone present, around 13. Hollow black eyes with red, fiery irises glared at them. Black hair covered half his face and proceeded to his shoulders. The bangs were cut in a chopped manner, giving them a rather messy appearance. The ghost's fingernails, if they could even be called that anymore, were black and claw-like. The black polish had cracks running through it. The ghost wore a black shirt with webbed sleeves. He had on a pair of dark jeans though the bottoms had faded, giving them an ethereal and insubstantial appearance. Spiked bracelets completed the ensemble.

The thing that really shocked the three of them was his skin. It was burnt away, revealing meaty flesh. This made him have a rather splotched appearance of black spots of charred skin that hadn't been completely consumed by flames and the red spots of revealed muscle. At some places on his scorched body, you could see the bone; a milky color. At closer inspection, his hair was singed as well.

Danny looked at the ghost. He wasn't sure what was going on exactly, but he could remember some things. Like feeling himself be pushed to the back of his mind by some dark entity. This must be him. Danny didn't know what the ghost had done while possessing him, but he was sure that whatever it was hadn't been good.

"I don't know who you are, but you might as well tell me your name and what you were up to. Then we'll send you to a nice, little place I like to call the Fenton Thermos." Danny glanced over at Sam and Tucker. "You guys do have one of those, right?" Tucker nodded and reached into his backpack to retrieve it.

The ghost glared hatefully at them. "Why should I tell you anything?" He spat. As his mouth opened, a serpentine tongue flicked out. "I just wanted some vengeance."

"What did I ever do to you?" Danny asked angrily. He couldn't remember ever having seen this ghost, let alone done anything to make the ghost angry at him.

The ghost kept quiet, turning his head away. Danny sighed. Obviously, an interrogation wasn't going to work. "Look, whatever I did, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. Now, how about we just be civil and you tell me what this is all about. Then we can head home and call it a night." Danny was speaking calmly, hoping that the ghost would cooperate.

The ghost glared before muttering, "For starters, you can call me Oran." In a more menacing voice, he continued, "As for what you did, you killed me." Danny opened his mouth to protest, say he had never killed anyone, but Oran cut him off, "Don't speak! The burning building from a couple days ago… I was trapped inside my room and I burned to death." Oran shook his arms at them, causing a few loose flakes of charred skin to break off and float away. "I became a ghost quickly afterwards and guess what I see; everyone applauding Danny Phantom for saving the day." His voice hissed at the name as if it was some vulgar thing. "They were cheering!"

Danny instantly burst out. He couldn't stand listening to Oran. Despite what the ghost had done to him, he still felt pity at Oran's fate. Burning alive was hardly a pleasant experience. "I didn't know you were in there. If I had, I would've come and helped you out. Look, I'm—"

"I don't need or want an apology!" Oran growled, "All I heard for so long was Danny Phantom this and Danny Phantom that. It drove me crazy. And then I followed you home and discover you're half-human. You have friends and family. Things I never had. You needed to suffer. I decided to possess you. I got the fame, the family, the friends, a pretty girlfriend." Oran glanced at Sam.

Danny blushed and quickly replied, "She's not my girlfriend."

Oran rolled his eyes, hissing, "Then you're a blind fool for not realizing that she likes you." It was Sam's turn to blush. All those tender moments from before hadn't been with Danny. Until now, it hadn't really dawned on her. Survival and helping Danny had made her forget about the kisses, the meeting in the park, the date that inevitably wound her up here. Tears stung her eyes and she turned her head away. She didn't want to cry here. Danny had turned to look at the Goth with a look of pure amazement on his face.

"Sam…" His voice had taken on a calm and tender tone. After succeeding in wiping away the tears, Sam glanced at him as he told her, "I want to tell you something." Before Danny could say what he had to say, Oran interrupted.

"Don't ignore me!" The ghost shouted in anger.

Danny sighed, deciding that he would have to save it for later. He wouldn't forget. "Look, I'm sorry that I couldn't save you in time. But no one told me you were in there." This caused a bitter laugh to escape Oran.

"That's because my mom's dead and daddy," his voice was now a horrid mix of a small boy missing parents and of a monster wanting to rip someone's head off, "was always drinking. He was depressed; he hadn't cared about me since mother died. I might as well have been a ghost. The only times he talked to me were to yell at me when he was angry." It seemed that Oran had forgotten his earlier policy of not saying anything. The ghost continued with his rant,

"I had no friends. No one wanted to hang out with the Goth boy whose mother had been killed a few years back. Anyway, I couldn't have brought any friends home ever due to daddy. No one liked me, but it doesn't matter." He laughed hysterically. "I'm better than them now. I have power to change my life and make it however I want it to be. And you, Danny Phantom must suffer! I'll have a better life than anybody. Daddy will pay as well." He laughed that chilling laugh of his.

"Wait, one minute. I didn't do anything. It's not my fault your life was terrible and it's not my fault that no one had told me about you in the building. I'm sorry for not hearing you or sensing you. If I had known, I would've gone and helped you out." Danny wasn't sure if he wanted to fight. Yes, Oran had possessed him and had done enough evil to land him in prison for eternity, but it wasn't solely his fault. When your life was messed up, you tended to end up a psychopath.

"Danny… I'm not sure you can reason with him." Sam said softly to Danny. She had come over to him while Oran had been talking. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she added, "I don't think anything can help him now."

Danny frowned before nodding his head. "I guess…" Maybe a little fighting would help. But it was hard to believe that they couldn't do anything to aid the ghost. "Go and…" Recalling what happened to Jazz, Danny pointed in her direction, "Help Jazz out."

Sam bit her lip. She wanted to help fight Oran. Finally she sighed and nodded her head in tentative agreement. Danny didn't need the help. She would probably just get in the way anyway. Still, Sam would keep her eyes on the battle. If Danny needed help, she would give it gladly. Sam motioned to Tucker, who quickly handed the Fenton Thermos to Danny, before the duo walking off towards Jazz's fallen form.

Danny turned his head to Oran. "Well since you're being an idiot and not listening to reason, I guess I'll just have to take you down the hard way." Danny's fists glowed with green plasma.

Oran smirked, "We'll see whose taking who down." His fists began to glow first with red plasma and then red flames. He smirked as the fire danced around his hands before shooting it at Danny. "This'll be our little game to make up for the games I missed out on when I was a kid. And alive." He laughed and more flames shot towards the halfa. This was going to be a lot tougher than Danny had presumed.

---

**Author's Notes: Yes, another cliffhanger. Why? It would've taken too long to write the battle as well as the rest of the events of this story. Most likely, you'll be getting one more chapter and perhaps an epilogue. Until next time (which I hope will be soon, but who knows with my laziness?), **

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon**_


	9. Forgiveness isn't Impossible

**Author's Notes: The last chapter! I know it's been a while and I said I would finish this story before spring, but school's been rough lately. I've also been immersed in two new fandoms, so I've been busy reading fanfiction and daydreaming about various story ideas for those fandoms. This has been my longest chapter so far, almost twice the size of the last chapter. Back to the point, I am happy to present to you the final chapter of **_**Possessed**_**. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, Butch does. I do own **

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_**Chapter 9: Forgiveness isn't Impossible**_

"This'll be our little game to make up for the games I missed out on when I was a kid. And alive." He laughed and more flames shot towards the halfa.

Danny flew out of the way. This wasn't a good time to be on the defensive. Despite his reservations about fighting the ghost, he knew that there was no way to deal with Oran except to fight him. Touching the Fenton Thermos in reassurance that it had not been dislodged from his belt as he had dodged the flames, Danny turned around to look at Oran.

"You know, if you want friends, burning people isn't the way you get them." Danny stated before shooting a ball of plasma at Oran.

Oran's hand flicked up, sending flames up into a type of shield. The shield flared briefly as the plasma hit it, but it stayed steady. Obviously, plasma attacks weren't doing much at the moment. Before Danny could try something else, Oran sent the flaming shield towards him.

There was no chance to dodge. Danny felt the burning heat as the fire wall smashed into him. The tips of his hair were quickly blackened, but his ghostly resilience kept him from becoming roast like any other human would've. Boyish giggles from the other side of the room told Danny that Oran was currently in his more immature persona.

"Time to fight fire with ice." Danny called out.

A ball of chilly air formed in both his hands and he threw it towards Oran. Oran had constructed another fiery shield, expecting that Danny would attempt to use plasma once more. To his surprise, the icy ball easily smashed through the flames. It had been going at a high enough force that only the outside melted. The rest of it was secure as it slammed into Oran's belly.

Oran flew backwards, hitting the wall and leaving a dent in it. His eyes narrowed in shock. This was supposed to be his game! Danny wasn't allowed to win, it wasn't fair. The ghost peeled himself away from the wall.

Fire surrounded both hands and flowed out in two streams towards Danny. Danny raised his own hands, channeling icy energy outwards. Both energies smacked into each other and instantly began pushing in a battle for dominance of the other side. Pools of water were forming underneath as the fire wore through the ice though Danny could see that the flames were being doused as quickly as the ice was being melted. It looked like they were equals at the moment.

It wasn't Danny's interest to keep at this useless activity until one of the sides caved or they built up enough force to cause an explosion. He sunk down into the ground, letting the flames beat the ice and shoot past where Danny had been standing.

From Oran's cheerful laughter, Danny could tell the ghost hadn't been able to see the stealthy move. Most likely the ghost considered Danny eradicated with only ashes to mark his existence. What Oran didn't know would certainly come back and hurt him in his laughing fit.

"See, I am stronger than Danny Phantom!" The boy gloated in-between his chuckles, "I have bested him. Fire is superior, I am superior."

"Guess again?"

Oran turned to see who had disturbed his maniac speech, only to get a fist in the face as a result. The ice that had surrounded the fist felt painful against his burnt skin. All that coolness would once have been refreshing, but it was only a bane to Oran now. He screamed as he fell backwards. An icy beam followed the punch, driving Oran further into the ground.

Oran's body was shaking now as he lay in the pit. If he had been alive, his breaths would've been shallow. Since he was dead, his chest only heaved in a mock display of hard breathing. No! This wasn't how things were supposed to end. He was supposed to beat Danny Phantom and then take his leave to destroy his drunkard of a father. Certainly, that was the true course of life. Yet, here he was, lying in a pit, swimming in self-pity.

Danny had landed on the edge of the ditch that Oran had created. The ghost looked pitiful, lying there, but Danny wasn't about to give the ghost another chance to rise. He was just like a wild animal now, a hurt one that would strike out if given the chance. Today Danny would not fall to that trick of helplessness. His hand went down to the Fenton Thermos. Time to end this. "Say hello to the other ghosts for me," he stated before raising the device up to point at the fallen ghost.

"No! I will not allow it!" The inexpectant growl from the boy caused Danny to falter. That and the sight of the boy rising up. His eyes were almost completely black with only the slightest hints of red in them. This must be the angry personality that the boy often traded with his more childish one.

The slight hesitation on Danny's part earned Oran enough time to charge towards the halfa. His gnarled hand lashed out, knocking the Fenton Thermos away from his hands. The nails on that hand appeared more beastly than before; they seemed to be claws ready to gut Danny.

With fire surrounding his clawed hand, Oran slashed towards Danny's chest. Danny moved out of the way, quick enough to avoid full damage, but too slow to avoid Oran from making the slightest gash on his chest. Danny could feel green ectoplasm begin to ooze from the wound.

"Okay, you want to play like that? Fine, we'll all degenerate into savage ghosts." All Danny received for his words were a roar and a few mangled words that sounded like, "You shall lose," though Danny couldn't be entirely sure.

The two began a more grueling battle than before. Flames flew, striking objects that instantly burst into colorful flames. Yet the two continued to parry, mostly oblivious to the fire raging around them. Blue and red, punch and kick, it was difficult to follow their movements. Finally a decision was made as to who would be the winner of this bout.

Danny had sent a hailstorm of ice shards towards Oran. The ghost had failed to dodge, ending up in his skin being reopened as well as newly wounded. Blood flew in sticky globs, dotting the floor. Oran had fallen to his knees. His body trembled, a mixture of helplessness, anger, and the slightest edge of fear. Danny quickly retrieved the Fenton Thermos from where it had fallen before returning to stand in front of Oran.

"Stop." A stern voice commanded.

Danny let out a sigh of aggravation. Would this day ever end? He supposed not, most days tended to be full of labor for the halfa whether it was a difficult homework assignment or fighting with one of the Ghost Zone's nastier residents. Danny turned his head to look at what this new challenge would be.

This ghost was even less solid than any ghosts Danny had seen, if that was possible. The specter was that of a woman, clothed entirely in white. Her skin was pale and if it wasn't for her black hair, she would've looked entirely white. She was transparent as she hovered there, watching both boys. To Danny's surprise, the woman did not wear a look of malice. Instead her face was warm and gentle, the look of a loving mother.

While Danny's attention was on the woman, Oran rose to a slouched sitting position. His arm rose up as a sadistic grin painted his face into a grotesque mask. The perfect time to deliver a finishing blow to the halfa had finally come. Flames surrounded his arm, ready to spear the halfa's vulnerable back.

"Don't." The woman's voice echoed through the warehouse. To Oran's surprise, the flames disappeared as white bands surrounded his arms.

Danny shifted, flying to a location where he could watch both ghosts. What was going on? This woman was obviously not on Oran's side if she had helped Danny. But she would've allowed Danny to suck Oran into the thermos if she had been on his side? Whose side was she on? Danny's eyes flickered back and forth between the two, mind spinning at this latest development.

"Who are you?" He asked at the same time that Oran demanded, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Her eyes, Danny decided that they looked sad and nostalgic, glanced between the two before sighing, "I am Karena." Oran let out a small gasp.

"You?" Oran's words were choked as he spluttered them out, "You're… Mom?" His body was shaking now as he stared at his mother whom he had taken for long-gone so many years ago. "But… If you were a ghost, why didn't you ever come back to me? Why?" His voice had reverted to a small whine.

"You're his mother?!" Danny looked surprised. The two ghosts hardly resembled each other, with Oran appearing as a ragged corpse while Karena looked so pure and heavenly. However, as Danny peered closer, he could see the same gleam to their raven-black hair and their eyes were of a similar shade.

A small smile graced her face before she held out a hand for Oran. "Oran, come with me. You should not be causing such trouble in this world and to good people such as him." Her tone was motherly, kind, everything that Oran had longed for all those nights when his father beat him. The emotion showed on his face, in his smile and in his gleaming eyes. However, he hesitated to grip her hand.

"But… I can't just get away. I want to hurt these people for everything. I want to kill daddy and watch him scream like I screamed." Oran's eyes were glazed over, revenge playing out in his mind. He looked to his mother, searching for understanding as he spoke, "I can't just forget everything and live happily in the Ghost Zone. I need to feed this desire for vengeance."

"I'm not going to Ghost Zone. Can't you see how my form is already dissolving?" Karena gestured to her feet where the change was most obvious. It was as if she wasn't even there, her feet were so faded. The rest of her was fading as well. "I can't hold my ghost form like you can. I've only done so to this point because a fortune-telling ghost told me that I must."

"But…" Oran hung his head, trying to hide the forming tears behind his messy bangs. "I can't lose you again." Danny felt a stab of pity towards the boy. Yes, he was a violent boy with the worst intentions, but it would hurt anyone to have to lose their mother twice.

"You won't. You can come with me and you'll never have to think about revenge again."

Oran's eyes shifted downwards in shame. "You say you can't hold your ghost form well. It's because you don't have anything to do, nothing to avenge?" With a nod from Karena, Oran continued, "But I do. There's too much anger for me to just let it all go. I can't leave until I've eliminated all those who deserve it." His fists clenched as he glanced towards Danny.

"Let go of all that hatred, son." Karena out-stretched her hand, placing it gently on to one of Oran's shoulders. He flinched, unused to such a gentle touch, before relaxing into it.

"It's too hard. I can't do it, I can't." He whined softly.

"Yes you can." Karena looked over at Danny in surprise as the halfa spoke, "You don't have to hate everybody. If you let it go, you'll feel better. The only person keeping you from doing so is you."

Oran was watching Danny except his gaze was not one of hatred as it had previously been, but a softer look of appreciation. After all this, the halfa was still offering help to him. He glanced down at the ground where his blood was pooling before looking at his mother. Could he let go of all those years of hate and pain? The only thing that had driven him was a desire to be better than his father, to eventually get vengeance. But with his mother so close, he could remember some of his old aspirations. None of them included hurting others.

"I-I-I don't know how to…"

"Just remember life without the hatred." Danny said, confidence brimming in his voice. He really thought that the ghost boy might be able to stop his path of destruction.

"Remember the toy fire-truck you got for your 7th birthday? Remember running around the house with it and the stories you created?" The soothing tone of his mother broke down old walls that he had cast around his happier memories. They had no place in his vengeful mind, so he had cast them away.

Oran's mind flashed with images of fighting fires, rescuing people from burning buildings. It had been an old dream of his, to be a firefighter. To be able to don those heavy suits the firefighters wore and dive into danger for the sake of others. He had deserted that dream when his mother died and his father ceased to support his son's aims. The boy could see it as it if it was yesterday, pushing that fire-truck around the whole house and having his toy firefighters save people from buildings? He let out a derisive chuckle. Oh, the irony.

Danny was watching Oran closely. He still didn't trust the ghost entirely and he almost expected him to turn around and shoot flames at him. However, Danny also harbored a hope that the ghost boy would forget about his craving for revenge and go with his mother. It was possible; already Oran seemed far calmer and saner than he had been before.

"I don't know if I can… I want to, but I need some help." Oran's voice broke the silence.

Danny couldn't help grinning and he could see that even Karena's face had broken out into a smile at her son's choice. While it wasn't conclusive, at least the boy wanted to be helped. At least he was letting go of some of that rage. However, how to get rid of the rest was a mystery to Danny unless Oran could suddenly forgive everyone.

Karena gave her son a quick embrace, but this proved to be a mistake. Oran let out a gasp before stating, "You're barely there now. You can't leave without me. You said you wouldn't." Tears glimmered in his eyes as he looked at the ethereal form of his mother. "You said you'd help me." The tears were falling faster and Danny had to marvel that such a small boy had been so vicious a few minutes ago.

"And I will." Karena turned to face the flames surrounding the room. "We can attempt to destroy your ghostly figure, but it'll be painful and I can't promise that it'll work. You'd have to let go of your mastery of fire. And forgive your father."

"I can't!" At this, Oran was obstinate. How could he forget the father who beat him, who forgot that he had a son who required care especially now that his mother had died?

"You have to." Karena's tone was sharp, but not unkind. "You won't truly leave this life until you can at least forgive your father a bit. You must understand that my death caused his heart to shatter. It's no excuse for how he treated you, but he wanted to die after I died. But he couldn't just kill himself. The knowledge that his son was still there kept him from that option. He wasn't a bad man, but he was very confused and in need of an easy escape from life without actually killing himself. Thus the alcohol. Your father was never good when he was drunk. But you have to forgive him."

Oran shook his head, "I can't… He left scars. What type of father does that?"

"One who has lost his mind and the will to live, yet feels that he has to." Karena nudged Oran towards the inferno that surrounded them. "Go on. If you do not wish to forgive, then we'll have to see if you can burn away." Her voice was unsure. Danny could tell that she didn't want to inflict pain upon her son, but she needed the fastest way right now. "Your father did love you."

Oran was unbelieving. "No, he didn't." It was a quiet mumble. "Maybe before you died, but not after."

"He loved you. He grieves for your death."

A ball of light levitated above Karena's palm. It showed a foul-looking man. His black hair was unkempt and dirt smudged his cheeks except for two strips where tears had washed them clean. To Oran's surprise, his father's eyes were only red due to excessive crying none because of drinking too much. The man was pacing frantically, sobs escaping his throat.

Danny watched. Before he had felt like he had felt awkward, intruding on a mother and son's confrontation. But now he felt even more so. To watch such a private issue as an intruder, Danny just wished that he could run to his own family. Yet, he had to stay and make sure that Oran made the right choices and left.

"Why? Why did I drink?" The man threw a full bottle of whiskey at the wall, leaving a stain on the wall as the glass shattered. "My son… He must've hated me." A sob escaped the man, Oran's father, as he slumped into an armchair. His shoulders were heaving as he looked upwards. "Please son, I know I don't deserve forgiveness, but please… I love you, I never wanted to hurt you. I know that wherever you are, you're better off than you were here with me. Please… Say hello to your mother for me." At that, the sphere of light vanished. Karena had let it go, not wanting to watch her husband suffer anymore.

"If you don't believe him, let me tell you that's exactly how my dad says 'he loves me' when he's being serious." Danny added.

Oran stood, staring at where the orb had been. More tears had formed in his eyes. "I can never fully forgive him for hurting me, but I forgive him a little bit… I don't want to kill him. I won't kill Daddy."

"Let's go now." Karena had a grim smile on her face as she grasped her son's hand. Now the two of them were fading quickly. Karena looked at Danny, "Thank you for helping my son out… I don't blame you for hurting him. I apologize that you had to hear all that."

Danny waved the apology away. "It's fine."

"Danny." Oran spoke timidly, eyes glued to the ground. "I want to thank you for being there. You could've sucked me into the Fenton Thermos right away, but you tried talking to me before you even fought me. I was just an idiot caught up in my ambitions to not see help when it was right in front of me. Forgive me."

"Already forgiven," Danny said with a small smile. "I don't know if I can forgive you for everything you did, but this is what all this is about, isn't it? Forgiving others. I guess eventually I'll completely forgive you for all your crimes."

"I'm sorry for all that."

Danny shrugged. "It's all just a part of being a hero." Despite his nonchalant attitude towards it, Danny did appreciate the apology. He hadn't been expecting one from the ghost.

"Good-bye Danny Phantom." Oran waved before slyly adding, "And ask her out before it's too late." The grin on his face was the last thing to fade away as Karena and Oran, mother and son, left this world and the Ghost Zone behind.

Danny watched stunned before a small smile split his face. "Will do."

--

It was the Monday after the big fair and the events. Nothing much had happened since then. Danny had explained the story to his friends and his sister after coming out of the burning building with an empty Fenton Thermos. They still felt some bitterness towards Oran, but things had quickly returned to normal, almost as if it had never occurred.

Danny had yet to tell Sam his feelings. He had meant to tell her after coming from the building, but after the storytelling, it had been late and they had all been required to go home before their parents got worried. His parents had been exuberant that Jazz was finally home and had taken the entire family on a trip to celebrate. Finally it was Monday and Danny was hoping to get some time to talk to Sam in private once he got to school.

At school, Danny desperately searched for Sam. He couldn't find her, causing him to feel disheartened and a tad worried. Where was Sam? Danny sighed, hoping that she wasn't sick. He had planned out exactly what to say, and now it appeared as if his efforts would go to waste. With a sigh, Danny trudged into his classroom.

Tucker stomped into the classroom just as the last bell rang. His face was covered in cream pie and Danny couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Tucker's face. Tucker's eyes narrowed as he looked at Danny.

"Take a seat, Mr. Foley." The teacher's voice broke the staring match between the boys. Tucker sat to Danny's right. The teacher added, "And here's a napkin to get that stuff off your face."

"This was your fault, wasn't it?" Tucker whispered as he wiped at his face.

Danny shook his head, "Actually no it wasn't… I know I said I would get back at you, but I've been too busy thinking about other matters. Whoever did this did an amazing job. How'd it happen?"

"I opened my locker and a pie slammed into my face." Tucker grumbled, crossing his arms.

Just then, Sam jogged into class. "Sorry, I'm late." She handed the teacher a late note before sitting down on Danny's left. She glanced at Tucker and laughed softly to herself. "Liked your gift?"

"It was you!" Tucker's eyes widened. As he opened his mouth to reprimand Sam about her practical joke, the teacher called for the attention of everybody.

Danny flashed Sam a thumbs-up sign for the joke. He needed to tell Sam that he needed to talk to her in private. He really, really needed to otherwise he'd probably explode right now. An idea dawned on Danny and he quickly pulled a sheet of paper and jotted down a note. He passed the note to Sam and watched as she read the messy scrawl that was Danny's handwriting,

_Meet me by the trees outside the school. I need to tell you something._

_Danny_

Sam smiled lightly before writing her answer. She passed Danny the note and he opened it, a smile stretching over his face.

_Okay._

_**The End**_

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**A/N: And that is the end! I won't be writing an epilogue, mostly because I prefer this ending to something else. I'd probably end up writing something bad if I actually write out their encounter. Anyway, I figured this was a good place to end. You can guess what will happen. As for Karena and the twist in this chapter, I wasn't really expecting it to end like this. It just sorta happened. Well, I've appreciated all the reviews, favs, and readers! Thank you, a writer always loves when people take the time to review. Please review one last time to make for a very happy writer. Good-bye, it's been a blast, **

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon **_


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